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Missile Defence: Washington and Poland just moved the World closer to War

F. William Engdahl | 23.08.2008 12:10 | Analysis | Anti-militarism | Terror War | World

The signing on August 14 of an agreement between the governments of the
United States and Poland to deploy on Polish soil US `interceptor missiles'
is the most dangerous move towards nuclear war the world has seen since the
1962 Cuba Missile crisis.



The signing on August 14 of an agreement between the governments of the
United States and Poland to deploy on Polish soil US `interceptor missiles'
is the most dangerous move towards nuclear war the world has seen since the
1962 Cuba Missile crisis. Far from a defensive move to protect European NATO
states from a Russian nuclear attack, as military strategists have pointed
out, the US missiles in Poland pose a total existential threat to the future
existence of the Russian nation. The Russian Government has repeatedly
warned of this since US plans were first unveiled in early 2007. Now,
despite repeated diplomatic attempts by Russia to come to an agreement with
Washington, the Bush Administration, in the wake of a humiliating US defeat
in Georgia, has pressured the Government of Poland to finally sign the pact.
The consequences could be unthinkable for Europe and the planet.

The preliminary deal to place elements of the US global missile Defence
shield was signed by Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer and US
chief negotiator John Rood on August 14. Under the terms, Washington plans
to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland coupled with a radar system in
the Czech Republic, which it ludicrously claims are intended to counter
possible attacks from what it calls "rogue states," including Iran.

To get the agreement Washington agreed to reinforce Poland's air Defences.
The deal is still to be approved by the two countries' governments and
Poland's parliament. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in televised
remarks that "the events in the Caucasus show clearly that such security
guarantees are indispensable." The US-Polish missile talks had been dragging
for months before recent hostilities in Georgia.

The Bush White House Press spokesperson, Dona Perino stated, officially, "We
believe that missile Defence is a substantial contribution to NATO's
collective security." Officials say the interceptor base in Poland will be
opened by 2012. The Czech Republic signed a deal to host a US radar on July
8.

The signing now insures an escalation of tensions between Russia and NATO
and a new Cold War arms race in full force. It is important for readers to
understand, as I detail painstakingly in my book, to be released this
autumn, Full Spectrum Dominance: The National Security State and the Spread
of Democracy, the ability of one of two opposing sides to put anti-missile
missiles to within 90 miles of the territory of the other in even a
primitive first-generation anti-missile missile array gives that side
virtual victory in a nuclear balance of power and forces the other to
consider unconditional surrender or to pre-emptively react by launching its
nuclear strike before 2012. Senior Russian lawmakers said on Friday the
agreement would damage security in Europe, and reiterated that Russia would
now have to take steps to ensure its security.

Andrei Klimov, deputy head of the Russian State Duma's international affairs
committee, said the deal was designed to demonstrate Warsaw's "loyalty to
the US and receive material benefits. For the Americans, it is an
opportunity to expand its military presence across the world, including
closer to Russia. For NATO, this is an additional risk...many NATO countries
are unhappy with this, including the Germans and the French."

Klimov called the agreement "a step back" toward the Cold War.

Russian response

The US plans to deploy a radar in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor
missiles in northern Poland as part of a US-controlled missile shield for
Europe and North America, has been officially sold under the ludicrous
argument that it is against possible attacks from "rogue states," including
Iran. Last Spring then Russian President Vladimir Putin exposed the
shallowness of the US propaganda line by offering a startled President Bush
that Russia would offer the US use of Russian leased radar facilities in
Azerbaijan on the Iran border to far better monitor Iran missile launches.
The Bush Administration simply ignored the offer, exposing that their real
target is Russia not "rogue states like Iran." Russia rightly views
deployment of the US missile shield as a threat to its national security.

The latest Polish agreement advances a Russian response.

Russian officials earlier said Moscow could deploy its Iskander tactical
missiles and strategic bombers in Belarus and Russia's westernmost exclave
of Kaliningrad if Washington succeeded in its missile shield plans in
Europe. Moscow also warned it could target its missiles on Poland.

Russia is also discussing to put in place an orbital ballistic missile
system in response to US missile Defence plans for Central Europe, according
to a senior Russian military expert.

"A program could be implemented to create orbital ballistic missiles capable
of reaching US territory via the South Pole, skirting US air Defence bases,"
said Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin, former chief of staff of the Russian Strategic
Missile Forces, now vice president of the Academy of Security, Defence and
Law Enforcement Studies.

Previously as part of the post Cold War agreements with the US, agreements
which have been `significantly ignored' by Washington as it pushed the
borders of NATO ever closer to Moscow's doorstep, the Soviet Union had
abandoned such missiles in accordance with the START I Treaty.

Obama backs missile Defence too

The deal would further divide European countries into what Barack Obama's
foreign policy adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski calls openly, US "vassals" and
those pursuing more independent policies.

Any illusions that a Democratic Obama Presidency would mean a rollback of
such provocative NATO and US military moves of recent years should be
dismissed as dangerous wishful thinking. Obama's foreign policy team in
addition to father Zbigniew Brzezinski, includes Brzezinski's son, Ian
Brzezinski, current US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for European
and NATO Affairs. Ian Brzezinski is a devout backer of US missile Defence
policy, as well as Kosovo independence and NATO expansion into Ukraine and
Georgia.




**F. William Engdahl is a frequent contributor to Global Research.**

F. William Engdahl
- Homepage: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9836

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  1. Full Spectrum Dominance — chevaline

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