Europeans Ambivalent About Obama’s Missile Defense U-Turn
In Britain, the center-right Telegraph writes: “With this decision, President Obama has changed the strategic landscape for U.S.-Russian relations. He will now try to secure Russia’s support to bring greater pressure on Iran within the UN Security Council. It remains to be seen, however, whether the Russian government will see this step as warranting a reciprocal concession on their part, especially towards Iran. The Russian leadership perceives the world in a ‘zero-sum’ context, where a weakening of America represents a strengthening of Russia. President Obama will soon learn whether his strategy of engagement will bear fruit or whether, like Iran itself in recent months, America’s other opponents are simply not willing to bow to the new policy of engagement any more than they were to previous policies of confrontation.”
The center-right London-based Times, in an analysis titled “What will Obama get back from Russia after ditching missile defense?”, writes: “Vladimir Putin could be forgiven for having a celebratory shot of vodka with breakfast this morning at news that President Obama plans to abandon America’s missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. His implacable opposition to the project has paid off, leaving the Kremlin emboldened in its drive to re-establish a strategic ‘sphere of privileged interests’ over Russia’s former Soviet satellites. By trading the loyalty of Poland and the Czech Republic to satisfy Russia’s security concerns, the United States is signaling that it no longer contests Moscow’s right to assert its interests in Eastern Europe. … For Mr Putin, the lesson of today’s decision is clear. Intransigence pays dividends because the U.S. and the European Union lack the patience or determination to face Moscow down. That is a lesson that will send alarm bells ringing in the corridors of power of Russia’s former Soviet dominions.”
In France, the center-left Le Monde, writes: “The decision of the American president is one of especially high stakes. If Barack Obama follows through with his stated decision, he may hope for reciprocal gestures from Moscow, particularly in terms of Iran. … But will Moscow want to respond to this American overture? Poland, the Czech Republic as well as the Baltic States, the countries most affected by the U.S. change of heart, are very skeptical. … Barack Obama will have to allay their concerns.”
In Germany, the center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: “Obama’s biggest challenge is this: He has to quell the suspicion that he has buckled in the face of Russia. And he has to succeed in doing this not only in the U.S. Congress, but also when it comes to America’s allies in Eastern Europe. They are afraid that some people in Moscow will be able to misinterpret the decision to cancel the missile defense shield as a sign of weakness and to be emboldened to promote their interests with tanks in other places in the same way they did in Georgia.”
The Financial Times Deutschland writes: “What is truly unusual about Obama’s decision is that he is taking a huge step toward Russia without having any guaranteed quid pro quo to show for it. It is a rare thing for a U.S. president to make a down payment like this. It either shows great courage in the face of risk or pure naiveté. Just how risky Obama’s bet is can be seen from Moscow’s celebrations of the cancellation of the missile plans. Diplomats are pounding their chests and boasting that Obama’s buckling was the logical consequence of their refusal to compromise on this issue. For Obama, it will be a very expensive decision. In terms of domestic politics, he is exposing himself to accusations of being a wimp and damaging the country’s security. In terms of foreign politics, he is snubbing two allies — the Czech Republic and Poland — who view the cancellation of the missile shield as a betrayal. It would be dangerous for Obama if people got the impression that he had genuflected before the Russians. He has no way of guaranteeing that they will respond to his gesture of friendship. Moscow has the upper hand now.”
The center-right Die Welt writes: “[Obama’s decision] does raise the question of whether this policy is naïve and, in the end, dangerous. The other problem is that it leaves much of Central Europe disappointed. … People there are afraid of being abandoned again. Sandwiched between Western Europe (Germany, in particular) and Russia, the nations in Central Europe were for a long time the ping-pong ball of foreign powers. Having been admitted into NATO and the EU and having become visible partners with the U.S. raised hopes in these countries that they really counted for something. After Obama’s failure to appear at the ceremony marking the anniversary of the beginning of World War II in Gdansk, this will be the second blow to their hopes. Those who continue to believe that the freedom movement in the 1980s was right will enthusiastically welcome Obama’s decision. But they need to remember just one thing: Communism came to a peaceful end because America was both civil and well-armed.”
The Berliner Morgenpost writes: “The governments in Warsaw and Prague, which sought the deployment of the missile shields despite strong resistance in their own countries, have been duped by Obama. Their confidence in America’s reliability has not been strengthened. They may retaliate if America announces, after 2015, that it actually does want to put an entirely new missile system in Poland and the Czech Republic.”
The center-left Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: “Poland and the Czech Republic have exposed themselves to a lot of criticism from their neighbors to the west, serious threats from Russia and the skepticism of their own populations. But, from now on, they will give a lot more thought to working closely with America on such controversial issues and the consequences that doing so entails. Obama might have been thinking that canceling the plan would elicit some sort of quid pro quo from Moscow. The Russians are very happy about it, less because it can (presumably) improve U.S.-Russian relations, and more because it means that Russia’s tantrum has had its desired effect. … Russia’s claim that the planned missile defense system harmed strategic stability was never meant seriously. It was rather intended as propaganda and a way to influence a public that was very touchy about this issue. So this means it pays to play hardball.”
National Endowment for Propaganda. Of course it is. Any asset that Obama possesses will be used that way.
Like Acorn, the national non profit organization for vote stealing and massive multi-faceted corruption.
NPR.
National Propaganda Radio. They’re all the same arms of the same racist/progressive, Woodrow Wilson type socialist organizations. Saul Alinsky is doing back flips in his gave.
But, like the dawn’s early light of a new day, the worm has turned.
The Socialist tide is going out. Obama’s socialist flame is starting to seriously flicker.
My prediction. The Obama administration is going to drown in its own hate for America. It won’t be long before the entire Obama regressive administration starts circling the drain of hell.
Barack’s collosal mistake: playing his hand too soon.
Trying much too soon to bankrupt the U.S. with astronomical spending. Hoping by 2010 to devalue the dollar, create hyperinflation. Neuter the military. Dismantle missile defense on some strange idea that it’s destabilizing. Or it doesn’t really work.
Barack, your own Chantecleerian pride prevented you from playing your cards close to the vest.
Yes, your big mouth let the old cat out of the bag. Your actions, of course, have spoken even louder than your socialist words.
It’s as apparent as a sunrise that every step you’ve taken, Mr. Obama, has taken us farther and farther down a dangerous road, one we don’t want to travel on; which eventually leads to the destruction of every ideal this great nation was founded on.
Private ownership of land. And of the means of production. The Constitution. The American Dream. Honest elections. Security through military strength. Self reliance. The state serving the people, not Obama’s other way around.
SPREAD THE WEALTH. Your mile a minute mouth let it out during the campaign to Joe the Plumber that sharing the wealth was your overriding goal.
Boys and girls, with a competent Republican opponent, that revelation would have blown Obama’s socialist campaign to smithereens. But, unfortunately, that wasn’t to be.
However, every day, more and more Americans are catching on; getting the true picture where Barack is trying to take this country.
And you don’t need red, white and blue crayons to color Obama’s intentions.
A pencil drawing of a hammer and sickle will do nicely. Barack’s model(Barack sleeps with a picture of Saul Alinski over his bed) for America is the old Soviet Union, the one that once claimed they’d bury us.
Fellow Americans, I told you a month or two ago that the racist tag doesn’t wash anymore. Racist verbal bullets now shoot blanks. I guess Jimma Carter wasn’t checking his Pajamas Media. Why does the racist mud no longer stick?
Well, the racist accusation officially lost its punch when Barry nominated an ethnocentric racist to the Supremes.
Once Sonia said over and over again that Hispanic women were vastly superior to white males, and Obama never tried to distance himself from that moronic babble, the age of racist accusations was officially over.
I laughed that day last week when I sat down to read the Wash. Post and read Jimmy Carter’s explanation for Joe Wilson’s statement of fact during the ObamaCare rant. Actually,I almost fell over in my chair in spitting-out-cornflakes laughter.
Of course, the Carter crazy talk was set up for a national mocking partly by Obama’s knee jerk (actually more jerk and less knee) reaction when admitted racist Open the Door Henry Gates was arrested by Sgt. James Crowley, one of law enforcement’s best.
When, without any facts, Obama played the race card and called Crowley’s, the “stupid white actions of an undoubtedly racist cop, the jig was up. America really started to understand where Teleprompter Man was coming from.
Between Barack’s racist remarks in the Henry Gates-Gate scandal and Obama’s nomination of Sotomayor who repeats over and over her signature racial about white males, charges of racism, nowadays, founded or not, will be laughed at as being themselves racist babble from mindless minds.
Goodness gracious America. Consider who was elected President? Sitting in the oval office is a brown eyed handsome black man. How racist is that? White Americans electing a black man. Yep, “that’s racist”. At least, that’s what Eric Holder would have you believe. You know where this is going.
What did the first black attorney general say a week later after being sworn in? That all white males are racist cowards? Bingo. That’s what the man said.
Friends, is it any wonder that the race tag has lost all its stick-em. It’s like the boy crying wolf when there’s no wolf there.
The true racists are huddled together like fat city rats in the Obama administration.
My goodness, Van Jones just quit as an Obama adviser because his racist/communist remarks are all over You-tube. It’s not that other people call him a communist/racist. That’s how Van describes himself.
Today’s reality is this. America now sees through Obama.
It’s not the color of his skin we focus on. It’s the content of his character. (Martin L. King
The jig is truly up.
Obama’s magnificent tingle-up-the-anchor man’s leg speeches are now only charactertures of themselves.
Most everybody agrees Obama’s grossly reckless spending has to stop.
Most everybody agress a half billion more of our tax dollars can’t be handed willy nilli out to Acorn and its corrupt officers dotting this wonderful country.
The fact that billions of taxpayer dollars went into developing a cracker jack missile defense system to keep our family’s safe is of no consequence to Obama.
The fact that missile defense makes the Russians nervous and jealous isn’t a reason for Obama to lobby for its dismantling. But Obama wants to kill it for some reason. He wants to kill a program that could save the lives of 300 million Americans. Is Obama crazy? Or is Obama, himself, a red eyed full blown communist. I don’t know. You tell me.
Then there’s Socialized medicine which, if passed by a corrupt congress, just might be the nail in this country’s financial coffin.
When Obama said it would pay for itself, I wanted to throw a shoe at the TV. Or worse.
The Communist mantra of “redistribution of wealth” will not stand. And will not grow on soil where liberty’s roots stretch from sea to shining sea.
As long as we Americans have a thinking and a metabolizing, those evils cannot be allowed to flourish in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
If planted on freedom’s soil, I and 300 million Americans will pull them out if need be.
One by one. National Endowment for Propaganda. Of course it is. Any asset that Obama possesses will be used that way.
Like Acorn, the national non profit organization for vote stealing and massive multi-faceted corruption.
NPR.
National Propaganda Radio. They’re all the same arms of the same racist/progressive, Woodrow Wilson type socialist organizations. Saul Alinsky is doing back flips in his gave.
But, like the dawn’s early light of a new day, the worm has turned.
The Socialist tide is going out. Obama’s socialist flame is starting to seriously flicker.
My prediction. The Obama administration is going to drown in its own hate for America. It won’t be long before the entire Obama regressive administration starts circling the drain of hell.
Barack’s collosal mistake: playing his hand too soon.
Trying much too soon to bankrupt the U.S. with astronomical spending. Hoping by 2010 to devalue the dollar, create hyperinflation. Neuter the military. Dismantle missile defense on some strange idea that it’s destabilizing. Or it doesn’t really work.
Barack, your own Chantecleerian pride prevented you from playing your cards close to the vest.
Yes, your big mouth let the old cat out of the bag. Your actions, of course, have spoken even louder than your socialist words.
It’s as apparent as a sunrise that every step you’ve taken, Mr. Obama, has taken us farther and farther down a dangerous road, one we don’t want to travel on; which eventually leads to the destruction of every ideal this great nation was founded on.
Private ownership of land. And of the means of production. The Constitution. The American Dream. Honest elections. Security through military strength. Self reliance. The state serving the people, not Obama’s other way around.
SPREAD THE WEALTH. Your mile a minute mouth let it out during the campaign to Joe the Plumber that sharing the wealth was your overriding goal.
Boys and girls, with a competent Republican opponent, that revelation would have blown Obama’s socialist campaign to smithereens. But, unfortunately, that wasn’t to be.
However, every day, more and more Americans are catching on; getting the true picture where Barack is trying to take this country.
And you don’t need red, white and blue crayons to color Obama’s intentions.
A pencil drawing of a hammer and sickle will do nicely. Barack’s model(Barack sleeps with a picture of Saul Alinski over his bed) for America is the old Soviet Union, the one that once claimed they’d bury us.
Fellow Americans, I told you a month or two ago that the racist tag doesn’t wash anymore. Racist verbal bullets now shoot blanks. I guess Jimma Carter wasn’t checking his Pajamas Media. Why does the racist mud no longer stick?
Well, the racist accusation officially lost its punch when Barry nominated an ethnocentric racist to the Supremes.
Once Sonia said over and over again that Hispanic women were vastly superior to white males, and Obama never tried to distance himself from that moronic babble, the age of racist accusations was officially over.
I laughed that day last week when I sat down to read the Wash. Post and read Jimmy Carter’s explanation for Joe Wilson’s statement of fact during the ObamaCare rant. Actually,I almost fell over in my chair in spitting-out-cornflakes laughter.
Of course, the Carter crazy talk was set up for a national mocking partly by Obama’s knee jerk (actually more jerk and less knee) reaction when admitted racist Open the Door Henry Gates was arrested by Sgt. James Crowley, one of law enforcement’s best.
When, without any facts, Obama played the race card and called Crowley’s, the “stupid white actions of an undoubtedly racist cop, the jig was up. America really started to understand where Teleprompter Man was coming from.
Between Barack’s racist remarks in the Henry Gates-Gate scandal and Obama’s nomination of Sotomayor who repeats over and over her signature racial about white males, charges of racism, nowadays, founded or not, will be laughed at as being themselves racist babble from mindless minds.
Goodness gracious America. Consider who was elected President? Sitting in the oval office is a brown eyed handsome black man. How racist is that? White Americans electing a black man. Yep, “that’s racist”. At least, that’s what Eric Holder would have you believe. You know where this is going.
What did the first black attorney general say a week later after being sworn in? That all white males are racist cowards? Bingo. That’s what the man said.
Friends, is it any wonder that the race tag has lost all its stick-em. It’s like the boy crying wolf when there’s no wolf there.
The true racists are huddled together like fat city rats in the Obama administration.
My goodness, Van Jones just quit as an Obama adviser because his racist/communist remarks are all over You-tube. It’s not that other people call him a communist/racist. That’s how Van describes himself.
Today’s reality is this. America now sees through Obama.
It’s not the color of his skin we focus on. It’s the content of his character. (Martin L. King death, Apri4, 1968)
The jig is truly up.
Obama’s magnificent tingle-up-the-anchor man’s leg speeches are now only charactertures of themselves.
Most everybody agrees Obama’s grossly reckless spending has to stop.
Most everybody agress a half billion more of our tax dollars can’t be handed willy nilli out to Acorn and its corrupt officers dotting this wonderful country.
The fact that billions of taxpayer dollars went into developing a cracker jack missile defense system to keep our family’s safe is of no consequence to Obama.
The fact that missile defense makes the Russians nervous and jealous isn’t a reason for Obama to lobby for its dismantling. But Obama wants to kill it for some reason. He wants to kill a program that could save the lives of 300 million Americans. Is Obama crazy? Or is Obama, himself, a red eyed full blown communist. I don’t know. You tell me.
Then there’s Socialized medicine which, if passed by a corrupt congress, just might be the nail in this country’s medical and financial system, world’s best, hands down.
When Obama said it would pay for itself, I wanted to throw a shoe at the TV. Or worse.
The Communist mantra of “redistribution of wealth” will not stand. And will not grow on soil where liberty’s roots stretch from sea to shining sea.
As long as we Americans have a thinking and a metabolizing, those evils cannot be allowed to flourish in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
If planted on freedom’s soil, I and 300 million Americans will pull them out if need be.
One by one.
Quote from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is spot-on. It is sickening how Obama interrupted this initiative, although it was very clear for all Czechs since his inauguration that he will do this.
Radar was debated here for more three years on all levels (including nonsense like dangerous medical effects of US radar on populations living nearby), it polarized society so much, we were harrassed by both Sarkozy and Putin, opinions about it became slogans of major political parties and Obama shuts it down by calling our prime minister at midnight? God, that he calls a diplomatic decorum?
And Russia says this isn’t stopping them in deploying rockets in Kaliningrad…
selon Adam Rotfeld, ancien ministre des Affaires étrangères, la perte d’importance de l’Europe aux yeux des Etats-Unis. Pour Washington, « l’Europe est actuellement à l’abri de tout danger et elle devrait se livrer davantage aux activités visant à garantir sa propre sécurité au lieu de demander une protection extraordinaire des Etats-Unis »
Le professeur Roman Kuzniar, conseiller du ministre de la Défense, affirme dans Gazeta Wyborcza que « la Pologne devrait se réjouir de l’échec de ce projet qui menaçait sa sécurité » et que le seul garant de la sécurité polonaise est l’OTAN. Reprenant les termes utilisés par Pierre Lellouche, secrétaire d’Etat aux affaires européennes, le chef du groupe de la Plateforme civique (PO) au Parlement européen M. Jacek Saryusz-Wolski déclare dans « Polska » qu’il faut non seulement “européaniser l’OTAN mais aussi OTANiser l’Europe” en renforçant sa dimension de défense.
D’après un sondage réalisé par GFK Polonia, 48 % de la population considère que l’annulation du projet américain est une décision favorable à la Pologne (contre seulement 30 % qui voient ça d’un mauvais oeil). En revanche, 40 % des sondés estiment que la décision du Président américain constitue une concession à la Russie, 23 % pensent même qu’elle témoigne d’un certain mépris par rapport à la Pologne en tant qu’allié”
I already posted the transation, but my post got swallowed !
you can make it through google or whatever program
So, in résumé it says that half of the Poles are happy, while the other half see it as a disinterest of the US for european affairs, and particularely that Poland isn’t their favorite baby anymore
Now, some Pole responsibles are already saying that their defense can only be assured through NATO, some kinde of “europeanised NATO”
This isn’t only the Poles opinion, but also shared by us, Germans, British…
Marie Claude,
..OTANiser l’Europe bien, mais contre qui et quoi?
Il me semble que il est plus probable que il y aura un “Bruxelles-Moscow” pacte. De tempérament, votre EUtocratie et leur nomenklatura sont-ils si différents?
Quel beau mariage, sanctifié avec le bénit pétrole!
Fine. NATOize Europe, but against whom and against what?
It’s more likely that there will be a Brussels-Moscow pact. Temperamentally are your EUcrats and their nomenklatura all that different?
What a beautiful marriage, sanctified by the blessed petroleum!
It is very simple. obammy is a traitor and must be impeached.Every single last miserable puke in his administration has to go along with the communist traitors who support him. End this now.
Impeach the traitor.
Eastern Europeans do not have “intellectual” discussions of the pro’s and con’s of marxism – they have memories. They totally understand why what “used” to be the western way is better – not only for freedom, but for standard of living across the board.
Western Europe, and far too many American’s have no clue,and thinking themselves learned proceed to prove how little wisdom they have as they discuss the fastest ways to implement marxist principles in our formerly free and prosperous nation.
l’autre Charlot (:lol:)
you’re probably right for the alliance, though I wouldn’t call it pact !
De Gaulle already preview that Europe would size from Brest to the Urals.
Gorbachev said it a few years ago too. Besides Germans have already started negociations and trade alliances, and they think that they are the best link between west and east.
Europeanised Nato? operations would consider more on “urgencies” I suppose, like piraty, like saving western hostages in a hostile country, or to calm down ethnical fights, like in the Balkans, like in Chad borders (already an EU army is deploed there, French, Germans, Irish, the head is irish), and probably a common front to an iranian threat and or muslim threats, also Russia isn’t safe from such attacks from her former islamic republics… dunno, there are many possiblities, we ‘ll have to survey the developments !
Le comble, tout de même, ce serait d’intervenir aux côtés des Russes contre leur republiques islamiques
ked5: Sadly, Czech Communist Party is still voted by constant 12% of electorate. And there is big possibility that they will be in government or at least “silently” support it after elections next year.
Slovak Prime Minister is former Communist, who stayed in the party all the way until 1990, but joined it in 1987! When everyone knew that it is all coming down.
ce serait d’intervenir aux côtés des Russes contre leur republiques islamiques
Come that day, your European army would be flooded by American volunteers, perhaps some of your friends here!. Merde! Encore les Américains!
I compare Obama to Mohamed Atta, whom, as you probably know, was at the controls of the first plane to hit the Twin Towers.
Like Atta, Obama is at the controls of the U.S. economy, the respect and stature of the U.S., and is dead set on destroying all of it, while telling everyone that everything is okay under his control.
And We The Passengers are powerless to say “Let’s Roll”.
There is a deep disappointment here in Poland. For Obama, and most Americans as well, this might just be a mistake. For the Poles, however, it is treason – and it is understood as another instance of anglosaxon doublespeak towards them. They fought bravely, and were sold to Stalin.
It is folly to treat the Poles in such a way. They are true friends, and fond of America. But they do possess a sense of dignity, as well.
Time to tell Western Europe to go screw themselves, because our real friends are in the Eastern Block.
What is so sad about what Obama just did is that there are still people alive today in the Czech Republic who remember the last time they were sold out, which was at Munich in 1938. And to think that Obama made the announcement on the 70th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Poland is, quite simply, amazing. America, if ever you needed proof that an empty suit was elected president, you have it now. This, though, is not surprising considering the fact that Mr. Obama hasn’t run anything in his entire life, not a city, not a state, not even a large corporation. Nothing, zip, not one blessed thing. And people are surprised at what he did? To a leftist socialist like Obama, the rest of the world really doesn’t matter. His current dithering with the war in Afghanistan is just more proof that he could care less about what’s going on overseas. He may fire some missiles at some al-Qaeda targets ever now and then (just like Clinton did), but when it comes to having to do the heavy lifting of confronting thugs and tyrants around the world, he’s just not that interested. It all boils down to pushing the socialist domestic agenda here at home: Bank bailouts, AIG bailouts, car company bailouts, stimulus bills that only keep people on the public dole, cap-and-trade bills that would add even more taxes to an over-taxed public, and his centerpiece, socialized healthcare for all. And who says he doesn’t put Americans first? Why, he won’t be happy until we’re just like those other “enlightened” countries like Spain, Britain, or France, where there is always high unemployment, very high taxes, no economic growth, a bloated federal government, and no military. Yes, elections do have consequences. Pity the American public wasn’t paying attention last November. Pity indeed.
I didn’t like Obama’s policies and didn’t vote for him either, now I’m beginning to really dislike him on a personal level. This was just plain wrong of him to do to our allies in Eastern Europe, and for what? Nothing but political cronyism. No diplomatic quid pro quo, no treaties, a big fat 0 as in 0bama.
He scrapped the existing proven missile defense systems that were to be installed in favor of developing one from scratch. Who’s going to get this money? Probably GE and other Obama political contributors.
11. Wallenrod:
Please do not accept Obama’s cowardice, incompetence, and feebleness as a generic attitude of the majority of people in the United States.
Obama is a slow rolling disaster; Something like cancer.
There are many men and women, here in the U.S., that are ready, willing, and able to put their lives on the line, to maintain our respect for your country, and way of life.
This pathetic person happens to occupy the office of President of the United States, but, if you are reading the news, as posted here, you can rest assured, that he does not speak for the majority of Americans.
Let me apologize for our pathetic president.
“The growing perception that the United States is a power in terminal decline” is erroneous. The US is not in decline, terminal or otherwise; it is in voluntary, intentional withdrawal into isolation.
President Obama’s foreign policy has a simple but astonishing goal: to rid us of both enemies and allies.
The policy of appeasement of our enemies has been painfully obvious. In facing Iran, North Korea, and now a newly revanchist Russia, Obama has offered goodwill, apologies, and concessions, in the expectation that these will appease them and ensure good behavior in the future. It didn’t work for Chamberlain and it is unlikely to work for Obama. But there it is.
The flip side has been less obvious, but it, too, is emerging. Israel has received more of Obama’s pressure and condemnation than any of the nations that seek to push her into the sea.
The “moral equivalence” approach, where the smallest failings of democracies are equated to the greatest atrocities of tyrants, has been seen before from the left. But here we have something even worse: harsh condemnation of Israel for adding bedrooms in the West Bank without even a balancing concern about Palestinian shelling of Israeli homes.
We generally reserve the label for Republican policy in the 1920’s and early 1930’s, but it appears equally applicable here. Back then (and it continued well into the Roosevelt years) we intentionally distanced ourselves from our allies in the recent World War. We rejected all efforts to respond to aggression overseas. And we limited our active diplomacy to high-minded disarmament schemes.
So this stuff is nothing new. But back then it was properly condemned as “turning our backs to the world”, while today it is seen as the highest kind of international outreach, the noblest level of diversity. “All nations are equal, and we love you all equally. So don’t expect us to take sides in any of your petty quarrels.”
As you point out, the retreat on missile defense in Europe is being seen properly in most places as craven appeasement of Russia, who objected to anything that would limit Iran’s western “outreach” or reinforce the independence of Russia’s former colonies in Eastern Europe. But the message was two-fold: Russia must be appeased, but similarly Poland and the Czech Republic must be reminded that we have no stake in ensuring their independence. Poles and Czechs, like our other allies, are on their own.
Similarly in the Americas, we reach out to Venezuela’s Castro clone Chavez while distancing ourselves from strong ally Colombia. In Honduras we stand up for the rights of a budding Chavez clone to make himself president-for-life. Everywhere the same: outreach to anti-American regimes, pushback to American allies. The goal? To make them all just “other nations”.
It is isolationism, pure and simple. And, as before, it is reversible – but only after a bitter price is paid.
As an American living in Europe, frankly I see this as the first thing Obama has done that I can agree with. Why are we paying for the defense of a wealthy continent? NATO is the ultimate big government program, stumbling on long after the reason for its foundation (the USSR) disappeared.
“More than anything else, however, Obama’s decision seems to be reinforcing the growing perception that the United States is a power in terminal decline.”
No, the United States is not in “terminal decline.” It’s actually Obama’s political career that’s in terminal decline.
My fearless prediction from nearly a year ago: “Obama’s poll numbers will start heading south beginning the moment he starts actually making decisions.”
Am I right…or am I right?
B. Obama has done a whole lot of things that upset not only the American electorate, but the common people of the whole world. He somehow saw himself as the man who would make it All Okay, just by giving inspirational speeches. Even the brutal depots of the world would be swayed by his speeches, because he Was So Reasonable, so he thought. That said, I could give him a pass as a naive, poorly educated dupe of political correctness, except that the man is not a clueless kid. His practical education (Harvard PC aside) absorbed the nasty, cynical, mostly radical lessons of Chicago politics, which loves power above any consideration of fairness.
We are all in great danger now because of a cultural system (our former fourth estate – i.e. the heretofore “objective” network media) which could not, or would not, provide a fair and balanced review of the people who manufacture our domestic and foreign policy. The American people have been betrayed, not only by our leaders, but by the people who were supposed to provide the checks and balances on our leaders. I contend that, not only should we sweep Congress clean of the weasels, but we should insist on a similar house cleaning of the erstwhile Fourth Estate.
This move is just foolish. If he had any sense and was being advised by people who actually cared about our country and our allies, he could have just suspended implementation but kept the option open. Instead, he threw in his cards before the first bet and is trying to tell everyone how superior he is for not playing.
I pray I wake up and these fools are shoveling their nonsense in obscurity.
Where are we going? And why are we in this handbasket?
Room 237,
Even if the decision should turn out to be correct from a defense point of view, there is no excuse for the classless way in which the matter was handled. Obama treats other people like dirt. Maybe next time he gets with Stephanopolis, they should open the dictionary to the word honor. Obama seems totally unfamiliar with the concept.
….in Eastern Europe, the only region in Europe where the United States is actually liked.
Obama appears to be taking care of that little problem….
« l’Europe est actuellement à l’abri de tout danger … elle devrait se livrer davantage aux activités visant à garantir sa propre sécurité au lieu de demander une protection extraordinaire des Etats-Unis »
In other words …. Europe realizes that it can no longer depend on the US for “extraordinary protection” and must take responsibility for its own defense.
If there is one nation on earth whom we should support, it is Poland. Read the history of that little place and you will understand what the Poles have done for the West. They held the line against the Turks at Vienna (defying the French). Entire towns fought to the last man against the Nazis. They stood up to the Soviets, knowing full well the consequences.
The Poles deserve so much better than this.
Room 237
The missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic were not to defend the Europeans from the USSR or from Russia. Their purpose was to defend Europe against Iranian missiles so that Europeans would have the guts to participate in economic sanctions against Iran.
The argument that Iran has short range missiles but no long range missiles is absurd given the fact that Iran recently put a satellite into orbit. If they can put something into orbit, they can deliver it to any place on earth.
But, you may argue, an attack against Europe would lead to a massive retaliation against Iran. Well, so would an attack against Israel. If the Iranians are willing to accept a nuclear retaliation as the price of attacking Israel, they will not care that a retaliation for attacking Europe will make the radioactive rubble bounce. They can make up a “shit list” of all the people that they want to attack when they go after Israel. European countries that refuse to trade with them would be likely to be on that list.
The Iranians are like somebody who tries to rob a bank with dynamite strapped to his chest. If you can shield all the hostages, nobody is going to give him any money. If he sets off the dynamite it only hurts himself. However, as long as he can take other people with him in a suicidal blaze of glory, the guy with the dynamite vest is going to get pretty much what he wants.
Wallenrod,
Poland has been betrayed, but America has been dishonored. Time will tell how it comes about that we be able to look at ourselves in the mirror again but it will come.
(defying the French).
ummm d’ya know, the French were annointed as the official protectors of the Christians in ottoman empire, also for the pilgrins that wanted to visit the holy place of “Palestine” therefore they had to be diplomat with the Turks so that these people still can travel there, and many time the french kings sent some army expeditions to Palestine.
So this was a tacite entente with the Turks, “donnant-donnant” that the French weren’t fighting with the Poles and the Austrians in 1863, besides Austrians were the enemis of France, and, a bet, France would have been stupid to help enemis in difficulties, which ment some rest for a while on that side !
now speaking of fighting muslims invadors, seems that we have done our part, with Charles Martel, then with the different crusades that we drove to Palestine
uh entire towns fought against the nazis ? umm some concentration camps survivors though said that some Poles rather were helping Nazis to fight against the Russians !
Obama erred seriously in his handling of Poland and the Czech Republic. He’s out of his league when treating international waters. That said, nuts like Dark Helmet, spewing idiocy like “impeach the traitor”, give a bad name to people who have genuibe problems with Obama.
Seriously, impeach him on what impeachable grounds outlined in the constitution? And how is he a traitor? He may be naive, wrong headed, foolish… but a traitor?
Shessshhhhhhh….
“President Obama’s foreign policy has a simple but astonishing goal: to rid us of both enemies and allies.”
I believe he’ll find it a great deal easier to shed allies. BTW, wasn’t Vice President von Münchhausen’s expertise supposed complement Obama’s lack of any identifiable foreign policy credentials? I hate to say it, but I don’t believe even Tale Spinner Joe would be this stupid. Maybe. I dunno.
Mark in Texas and vb:
Yes, the missile system was designed to protect eastern Europe from Iran, in case of Russian attack it would have been overwhelmed.
BUT that was not my premise. Rather, I believe that Europe can and should pay for and take responsibility for its own defense and security.
The US needs to wihdraw from NATO. The sooner the better. Let then stand or fall on their own.
RE: Marie-Claude -
Marie-Claude, maybe you can oblige providing us with a larger quote & context of Daladier’s famous “Ah! Les Cons! [...]”
What makes me say this is the fact that Obama’s “astute” move may have a very expensive price after the applause will end (and the hangover installs).
Best -
Soeren Kern hits the mark in his enumeration of possible/ probable bad consequences of Obama’s move – I suggest as a companion piece RCP/ RealClearWord: “Obama’s Easter European Problem/ by Svante Cornell:
hwww.realclearworld.com/articles/2009/09/24/obamas_eastern_european_problem_97192.html
Il est le signataire, en tant que président du Conseil, des accords de Munich en 1938. Opposé à la négociation avec Hitler, il ne signera ces accords qu’à contrecœur, poussé par la Grande-Bretagne de Neville Chamberlain sans qui une guerre contre l’Allemagne n’était pas possible, le Royaume-Uni contrôlant alors la majeure partie des approvisionnements en pétrole.
Après Munich, à son retour en France, Daladier est persuadé d’être hué pour avoir cédé à Hitler, les accords de Munich abandonnant aux nazis une partie de la Tchécoslovaquie sans presque rien demander en échange sinon de vagues promesses de paix.
Mais à sa sortie de l’avion le ramenant vers Paris, Daladier est vivement acclamé, à sa grande surprise, pour avoir sauvé la paix.
Il se serait exclamé, entendu du seul Alexis Léger qui le suivait : “Ah les cons ! S’ils savaient !”.
http://histoiregeolyceerombas.over-blog.com/article-35576414.html
Daladier was pressed by Chamberlain to sign the agreement
he declared war to Germany in september 1939 and was put in Jail by Vichy government in 1940 !
ah les cons !