Missile Defense in Europe: Stakes Are High
13/2/2009AP reports today that
President Barack Obama’s go-slow approach to missile defenses in Europe is stirring speculation that he is planning either to deep-freeze the costly project he inherited from the Bush administration or use it as a bargaining chip in broader security talks with Russia.
Is that true? What we know is that Russia’s sabre rattling and often hostile stances towards the US in these last years were aimed at taking the Americans back to the negotiating table, and not at launching “Cold War 2″, as many analysts incorrectly interpreted.
However, current negotiations on Afghanistan (Russian support for logistics) and BMD are linked to Russia’s long-term goals in Western Eurasia (especially in South Caucasus and Ukraine), where Moscow wants to rebuild a sphere of influence and thus wants to keep NATO out. The stakes are high, and deals with Washington may well fail, paving the way for many years of strained politico-strategic relations between Russia and the US.
