Barack Obama has abandoned the controversial Pentagon plan built during the Bush era to build a missile defence system in Europe. The plan had long tensed the relations with Russia.
Obama said the new approach would offer “stronger, swifter and smarter” defence for the US and its allies. He said it would focus on the threat posed by Iran’s short- and medium-range missiles, rather than its intercontinental nuclear capabilities.
Obama announced the reversal officially at a news conference today. “This new approach will provide capabilities sooner, build on proven systems to offer greater defences to the threat of attack than the 2007 European missile defence programme,” he said.
He phoned the leaders of Poland and the Czech Republic last night to tell them he had dropped plans to site missile interceptors and a radar station in their respective countries. Russia had furiously opposed the project, claiming it targeted Moscow’s nuclear arsenal.
Obama has taken a step in the direction of improving US-Russian relations. that will allow Russia to make some concessions, maybe on strategic talks over nuclear arms reduction or maybe over Iran.
This represents an stategic shift to not threaten Iran but instead go to the negotiations table.
Noam Chomsky had said: “This is no defense shield. It is an ofensive action from the United States”.
The importance of movements such as “Europe for Peace” and the Czech Non-violent activism against the missile defense shield helped the public awareness of what the issue really was about.
