februarie 5, 2010

Romania will host elements of the US missile shield ³

by George Visan • Analysis, English content, George Visan, International Affairs, Posts by author • Tags: Aegis Combat System, Ballistic Missile Defense, Black Sea, Central and Eastern Europe, CSAT, Czech Republic, Emil Boc, EU, European Security, Ion Iliescu, Iran, Mircea Geoană, NATO, Poland, PSD, Romania, Russia, Sergey Lavrov, Standard SM-3, Titus Corlatean, Traian Băsescu

Courtesy of Ria Novosti

Romania’s President, Traian Băsescu has announced yesterday the willingness of his country to host parts of US the ballistic missile defense system on its territory. The decision to allow the United States to deploy anti-ballistic missiles in Romania was taken in a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council (CSAT). According to Traian Băsescu Mrs. Ellen Tauscher the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security has formally proposed on behalf of the United States of America that Romania should host on its territory an anti-ballistic missile system. The US State Department has confirmed the agreement while the US embassy in Bucharest has saluted president Băsescu’s decision. Following the CSAT decision bilateral negotiations will be started, however the final approval for the deployment of the missiles must come from the Romanian parliament. The Romanian president has stated that the missile shield is not directed against Russia, but is designed to protect against other threats.

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septembrie 21, 2009

US makes major strategic shift on Missile Defense ³

by George Visan • Analysis, English content, George Visan, International Affairs, Posts by author • Tags: Aegis Combat System, Arleigh Burke destroyer, Ballistic Missile Defense, Barack Obama, Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic, defense budget, Europe, European Security, Ground-Based Interceptor, Iran, Kremlin, Lech Walesa, Mirek Topolanek, Moscow, Pentagon, Poland, retrenchment, Robert S. Gates, Russia, Solidarność, Standard SM-3, Ticonderoga class cruiser, United States foreign policy

A ground-based interceptor lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Dec. 5, 2008. (DoD photo by Joe Davila, U.S. Air Force/Released)

The President of the United States, Barack Obama has announced on September 17, a major shift in the policy of the US concerning the deployment of anti-ballistic missile defenses in Central and Eastern Europe in order to protect its European allies from a possible Iranian threat. In this article I will argue that this move is a part of a larger strategy of retrenchment, designed to make American power more flexible and adaptable in an international system defined both by symmetrical and asymmetrical threats. The move does not signal by any means a waning of America’s commitment to Europe’s security or for that matter, the security of Central and Eastern Europe. Canceling the deployment of the Ground Based Interceptors in Poland and the X band radar in the Czech Republic does not mean the United States is giving up on creating a national missile defense capability.

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iulie 20, 2009

Central and Eastern European fears ²

by George Visan • Analysis, English content, George Visan, International Affairs, Posts by author • Tags: Afghanistan, Alexandr Vondra, Barack Obama, CEE, Central and Easter Europe, Czech Republic, Emil Constantinescu, energy security, EU, Iran, Lech Walesa, Martin Butora, Matyas Eorsi, Middle East, missile shield, NATO, North Korea, Poland, realism, Russia, Russian foreign policy, trans-Atlantic link, US foreign policy, US-Russia summit, Vaclav Havel, Valdas Adamkus, Visa Waiver, Washington

A group of Central and Eastern European intellectuals and former chiefs of state have published on July 16 an open letter to the President of the United States of America, voicing their concerns regarding the current state of relations between the countries of this region and the United States. The letter comes after the US-Russia summit and is signed by Vaclav Havel, Lech Walesa, Emil Constantinescu, Valdas Adamkus, Martin Butora, Matyas Eorsi, Alexandr Vondra and other important figures who have played a part in the recent history of Central and Eastern Europe. In the letter they emphasize the role played by the United States in Central Europe’s (CEE) transition from authoritarianism to democracy, remind Washington of the contribution made by the countries of this region to the American war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, while deploring the fact that the CEE is no longer a priority for US foreign policy. The letter criticizes the new “realist” foreign policy of the Obama Administration concerning Europe and Russia, with the shadow of Yalta looming large in the minds of the signatories.

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