Posted on 02/07/2011 8:51:50 AM PST by Qbert
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia sees the planned U.S. missile defense system as a potential threat to its nuclear forces and may review its participation in a landmark nuclear arms treaty, officials said Monday.
The New START deal, the centerpiece of Barack Obama's efforts to reset ties with Russia and the most significant arms control pact in nearly two decades, took effect last week. It limits each country to 1,550 strategic warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200.
The treaty doesn't prevent the U.S. from building new missile defense systems, but Russia has warned that it reserves the right to withdraw from the treaty if the United States significantly boosts its missile shield.
(Excerpt) Read more at kltv.com ...
Obama is a loon.
Actually, this gives a future conservative President a graceful out, without violating the treaty. He just has to crank up missile defense until the Russians decide to withdraw from it.
“So let them withdraw. In fact, we should never have signed this in the first place.”
Yep. And shame on all the RINOs that voted for this (especially Lugar).
Russia is the major enabler of Iran, which makes it our enemy in my book. Did Barry and the boys already turn over the Trident codes? If so, Russia got what it wanted. HOw many of the Repub Senators who voted for this “treaty” knew about the betrayal of Great Britain?
“Actually, this gives a future conservative President a graceful out, without violating the treaty. He just has to crank up missile defense until the Russians decide to withdraw from it.”
Good point. My fear though is in the short-term: Obama will likely do whatever the Russians want in order to placate them so he can keep boasting about his “victory” in getting this POS treaty passed in the Senate.
This is actually funny.
The idiot in the White House pushed this thing, and already the Russians are blackmmailing him with it.
What a loon, what an idiot.
Ice Cream eating Pansy.
Yeh, who cares? Let them withdraw. We never should have ratified that treaty anyway.
The Russian’s must be real morons if they think a missile defense system is a threat to their ballistic missiles.The only way our anti-ballistic missile system could be a threat to the Russian’s is if they intended to attack us with those missiles.
Impersonally think that Russia may be planning on doing just that.Not that it would make much sense,but the Russian’s have a very bad sense of paranoia anyway.It seems like they fear everything.
So I guess we now know how President Palin will get us out of this bad deal in January, 2013.
Actually, this gives a future conservative President a graceful out, without violating the treaty. He just has to crank up missile defense until the Russians decide to withdraw from it.
I agree with you. However, by that time there will be no money for increasing missle defense.
“The Russians must be real morons if they think a missile defense system is a threat to their ballistic missiles.The only way our anti-ballistic missile system could be a threat to the Russians is if they intended to attack us with those missiles.”
—I think the Russians know exactly what they’re doing here: It would be the ultimate humiliation to Obama if the Russians withdrew shortly after START went into effect over this (something IIRC, experts warned was a major weakness with the treaty).
Obama badly needs this treaty to stand, so he will do whatever he can to keep it in place, and give in to Russian demands. Any idiot that gives up nuke secrets will surely give up even more without hesitation. The Russians will easily win the chess match here.
Any questions?
The propaganda is that missile defense allows an aggressor to launch a first strike against the other side's missiles, and use the defense shield to take out the weaker counter-attack.
In real life, there are two main targets for your missiles: the enemy's missiles, or the enemy's cities and command bunkers. The side initiating a first strike will aim to take out their enemy's missiles, and then be able to threaten the enemy's cities with their remaining missiles.
With missile defense, you can ride out an attack on your missiles, and then the other side is faced with the possibility that you still have all your missiles available for use against their cities. It thus negates any advantage to hitting first -- the advantage goes to the counter-attacker. It thus favors the defender against the aggressor.
That Russia is against it, indicates they have future plans on being the aggressor.
Question: How is a missile DEFENSE system a “threat” to their nuclear weapons? The missile defense system is useless against missiles that haven’t been fired so unless you have already fired your nuclear missiles, they are perfectly safe.
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