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War, War, War See other War, War, War Articles Title: Obama, Medvedev on Collision Course Over Missile Shield? Obama, Medvedev on Collision Course Over Missile Shield? Date: Nov 12, 2008 8:40:08 AM Barack Obama had been president-elect for all of one day last week when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called him out, reminding many of vice president-to-be Joe Biden's warning that America's enemies would test the new president with an international crisis within six months. In his first state-of-the-nation address, Medvedev threatened to move short-range missiles to Russia's borders with NATO countries to counter America's plan to build a missile defense shield in Poland. Medvedev didn't congratulate Obama or mention him by name in his nationally televised 85-minute address, during which he blamed Washington for the war in Georgia and the world financial crisis and suggested it was up to Washington to mend badly damaged ties. "It was a really unfortunate time to make this type of statement, just when Obama was elected," said Dimitri K. Simes, president of The Nixon Center and author of "After the Collapse: Russia Seeks Its Place as a Great Power." "It was a poor way to communicate the interest Russia has in the new beginning of the United States," Simes said. Obama spoke to Medvedev by phone on Saturday, and the Kremlin said Obama and Medvedev believe an "early bilateral meeting" should be arranged. Even so, the episode has raised questions about future relations between the two nations -- which are already strained after the Russian-Georgia conflict -- and what kind of threat a resurgent Russia will pose to the United States during Obama's presidency. Russia has regained economic strength in recent years, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, thanks to rising oil prices, increased foreign investment and higher domestic consumption. And its relations with the U.S. have cooled considerably in the last few years. The latest war of words stems from President Bush's desire to construct a European missile shield with installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. The plan is to begin work before Bush leaves office in January, with completion scheduled for 2012. But experts in the Defense Department reportedly believe more interceptor testing is required, which could delay the program for years. Marshall I. Goldman, senior scholar at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, called Medvedev's speech last week a "terrible misjudgment" because it forces Obama to take a tougher stance than he might have otherwise. Goldman said it's not too late for the U.S. and Russia to salvage relations, but Obama must back away from the Bush administration's plan to set up the missile shield. He said Russia will never believe that it is intended solely as a defense against Iran. "They just don't trust us," Goldman said. He said Russia needs to back off, too, and give Obama a chance to establish his foreign policy. "Give him a chance, but don't push him into a corner," he said. Padma Desai, a Harriman professor of comparative economic systems and director of the Center for Transition Economies at Columbia University, said Obama's biggest challenge in improving relations with Russia will come from Congress. "Democrats are going to be a problem," she said, noting that congressional leaders, whom she described as hawkish, won't react well to Obama sitting down with Medvedev. She said Russia does not pose a threat to the U.S. "They have lots of problems. They're facing a decline in oil prices and population growth. They have a whole lot of problems. How can they be a threat?" she said. But she added that Russia will always be a thorn in the side of the U.S. Even if Russia becomes a full democracy, she said, the U.S. will always have problems with its leadership because, unlike Europe and Japan, which share America's values, Russia will always have geopolitical interests that it will want to protect along its southern border. Simes said U.S.-Russia relations will improve or deteriorate depending on how U.S. national security priorities are defined. "If our priorities [are] nuclear nonproliferation, counterterrorism, protecting NATO allies and not allowing Russia to invade its neighbors, then all these priorities can be pursued without confrontation with Russia," he said "If it is to spread democracy, that Ukraine and Georgia be brought into NATO, not to allow Russia to build pipelines in Europe, then I think clearly the relation is going to deteriorate."
Poster Comment: Grid your loins, Mr & Mrs America.
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#24. To: Jethro Tull (#0)
Dumbass messiah jesus hussein is gonna' start WWIII with Russia.
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