Romania Says It Is Joining Missile Shield

[steven johnson]

Source: New York Times

MUNICH — Romania’s top defense body approved a United States proposal to base missile interceptors there, the country’s president said Thursday.

The announcement from the president, Traian Basescu, came as a bit of a surprise. The United States had negotiated to place the system in the Czech Republic and Poland, but plans for Romania’s participation had not previously been disclosed. Mr. Basescu said in a statement that Romania, the Black Sea country and former Warsaw Pact member that is now a part of NATO, was prepared to begin negotiations with the United States to accept the deployment of ground-based interceptors as part of an anti-ballistic missile defense system. He said the system could be working in Romania by 2015.

“The decision taken today is extremely important in consolidating the partnership with the United States,” Mr. Basescu said, adding that the most important result would be that the system will improve Romanian security. “This is the most important gain. Romania was not protected against possible ballistic missile strikes,” Mr. Basescu said.

Mr. Obama abruptly changed course on the proposed antiballistic missile shield in Eastern Europe in September, focusing on a reconfigured system designed to shoot down short- and medium-range Iranian missiles. The system was first proposed by President George W. Bush, but generated significant opposition from Russia over proposals to base it on the territory of Poland and the Czech Republic. Russia had argued that the system, so close to its border, was a security threat, but Russian criticism of the shield diminished after Mr. Obama had reconfigured it.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/europe/05romania.html?src=twr

[nyc 4 Biden]

1. This missile shield idea stinks!

yes, that is my expert analysis.

good missle shields make good neighbors?

I don't think robert frost would approve.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. Well.. in that vein

neither do offensive weapons systems as a form of mutual deterrence.

At least this is supposedly a 'defensive' weapon only, and not just an effort to hold guns at each others heads.


Of course, that's not how it's perceived, because if it works, it only makes your offensive deterrence weapons that much more potent, being able to strike without fear of retaliation. Deploying something like this must go hand in hand with a proportional reduction in offensive weapons, or it is actually an inrease in offensive capability.

Edit: and that doesn't happen, because no one is yet willing to risk their lives that this stuff works at all.

[The Northerner]

2. Is Obama really serious about extending this missile shield?

The country is bankrupt and we're spending money on the foreign defense of a country on a threat that doesn't exist?

I don't understand.

[JohnWxy]

4. he's not going to spend money on a fantasy system. It never was real, now it's dead.

[harun]

5. Kill this whole system Obama.

[Lars77]

6. Al Jazeera on it

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/02/201024173236190795.html

[Fool Count]

7. Yeah, it is all against Iran. Just looking at the map makes it clear.

[Socal31]

8. Well everyone knows it isn't against Russia.

Pooty-poot is using that as an excuse to bring back cold-war style military programs in his country.

Russian ICBMs would travel over the North Pole.


That being said, this is still a giant waste of money. If other countries want the shields, they can purchase them from us. No subsidies.

[unkachuck]

9. "...to accept the deployment of ground-based interceptors..."

....great move, basescu....outside of making Romania a giant bullseye target, what have you accomplished?

....let me rephrase that, how much are you and your capitalist buds making on this deal?....surely you don't believe that we would ever wage serious war or risk ballistic attack over Romania?