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July 8, 2009
Our "Looney Tunes" President held a fire sale of America's nuclear defences in Moscow
Topics: Political News and commentariesThat's the message from Gerald Warner in his piece at the Telegraph yesterday, where he writes of Barack Obama's sell-out of US and Western interests that proceeded at "a speed that (was) difficult to keep pace":
[...] Well said, Nile Gardiner, for asking if Barack Obama is the most naïve president in American history. The answer is undoubtedly yes - unless he has a secret agenda to cut America down to size.Read it all ...It was always in Russia that Obama threatened to do most damage and, as Nile Gardiner has rightly pointed out, these forebodings have been fulfilled. His supposed missile deal with Vladimir Putin (let's cut straight to the organ-grinder and by-pass Medvedev, the monkey) is very satisfactory to Russian ambitions and realpolitik.
The nuclear power balance, as at 2007, was a Russian superiority of 2,146 land-launched nuclear warheads to 1,600 US; this was counterbalanced by a US superiority of 3,168 sea-launched US warheads to 1,392 Russian and 1,098 air-launched US warheads to 624 Russian. What should also be factored in is the leaking, deteriorating, rust-bucket condition of some of Russia's deterrent ordnance, although it has already decommissioned the most basket-case Soviet weaponry. The bottom line, however, is that it is Russia which is now in the lead in ICBM development, not America.
For America voluntarily to reduce its nuclear superiority is madness. Bien-pensant talk of a nuclear-free world displays total stupidity in a global situation where nuclear weaponry is proliferating, not receding. There is even a nuclear bomb in Pakistan, which is teetering on the brink of failed statehood at the hands of Islamist insurgents. Is this a time for America to disarm, to "sell the store" as one trenchant right-wing commentator has already described Obama's posturing in Moscow?
As Nile Gardiner notes in the piece Warner refers to in the above link, at this rate, even Jimmy Carter looks like General Patton compared to the dove-like Barack Obama, who is opening the door for "America's enemies such as Iran to aggressively pursue their nuclear ambitions and exploit the weakness of a president who is gravely undercutting American global power in an increasingly dangerous world."
Why cut nuclear weapons at a time when rogue regimes such as North Korea and Iran are busy building their own programmes? Does the President seriously believe this move will encourage the likes of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Kim Jong Il to renounce their nuclear designs? What evidence is there in history that a unilateral policy of disarmament will prompt tyrannical regimes to change their behaviour?Much worse than Barack Obama having gained nothing from his visit to Russia, he has indeed held a fire sale of America's nuclear defences. The real winner is Russia and our enemies that plot against us - all either with nuclear weapons of their own or about to acquire them.It is also unclear what kind of odious quid pro quo deal Washington will have to sign up to in order move the agreement forward. President Medvedev, who serves as little more than Vladimir Putin's right hand, has made it abundantly clear that the United States will have to sacrifice any plans for a 'third site' missile defence system in eastern and central Europe for Moscow to sign up to a news arms treaty. This would be a huge betrayal of key U.S. allies Poland and the Czech Republic. No doubt Moscow will also demand the Obama administration give the Russians a bigger say over NATO expansion eastwards, including blocking the entry of Georgia and Ukraine.
By agreeing to a grand bargain with the Medvedev/Putin regime, President Obama has unwisely opened a Pandora's box of concessions that will only enhance Russia's hand in its "Near Abroad". At the same time, the Obama administration's naïve approach will strengthen the resolve of America's enemies such as Iran to aggressively pursue their nuclear ambitions and exploit the weakness of a president who is gravely undercutting American global power in an increasingly dangerous world.
Posted by Richard at July 8, 2009 9:31 AM
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- Our "Looney Tunes" President held a fire sale of America's nuclear defences in Moscow - Jul 08, 2009
