Missile Shield

Interesting how the United States wants to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. What if the Russians or Chinese were building the same thing in Canada and Mexico?

In response to this missile shield, Russian President Vladmir Putin has proposed other options:

"Putin said Friday that U.S. missile defense interceptors could be located in Turkey, or even Iraq or on sea platforms, offering yet another alternative to an American plan for a missile shield in eastern Europe.

“They could be placed in the south, in U.S. NATO allies such as Turkey, or even Iraq,” Putin said at a news conference after the close of the Group of Eight summit. “They could also be placed on sea platforms.”

Putin’s proposal on missile defense interceptors followed his surprise suggestion Thursday to President Bush to share use of the huge Soviet-era radar at Gabala in northeast Azerbaijan, now leased by Russia.

The proposal came after Putin spent weeks bitterly denouncing a U.S. proposal to build the missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, to defend against a future missile threat from Iran."

Of course the missile shield's purpose isn't to protect us from Iran; its going to be used to protect us from Russia. This is changing the status quo and balance of power not only in Europe but globally as well. I can totally understand why Russia isn't very happy about this. I wonder how the Europeans feel about nukes being pointed at them for the first time since the end of the Cold War...