re: #186 eon

However, they still have enough nuclear assets to use as a credible threat to blackmail both their former “associates”, and the West, into giving them what they want, both economically and politically. Such as acquiescing in their actions in Georgia, or maybe even quietly killing the proposed oil/gas pipeline through Turkey that would seriously cut into their revenues. The game being “Don’t do anything that would adversely affect our income, or Oops! little atomic “accident” on your heads.”

(Incidentally, increasing revenues from Gasprom will, over time, give Putin & Co. enough moolah to rebuild their conventional military to the point where they can seriously think in “empire-building” terms again. Bet. On. It.)

As it stands now, Russia is the equivalent of the local mob running a protection racket, and getting away with it, because nobody has a way of avoiding getting their kneecaps broken if the mob decides to “make an example” out of them. Missile Defense would at least deprive them of one crowbar to swing at said kneecaps.

The fact that President Obama is opposed to giving our allies (and, incidentally, us) that much protection against thuggish behavior on the part of a government which has repeatedly proven itself to be untrustworthy (Putin’s) tells me that once again, he values the “goodwill” of people who don’t like us more than he values our commitments to our actual friends.

As with everything else he does, this is a simple expression of his “Your friends are not my friends, and I don’t like your friends- or you- at all” worldview.

/I hope this clears thing up.

cheers

eon

well, you’re insane. the missile shield isn’t 100 percent effective anyway, so Russia could still use their arsenal to blackmail people like you say they will do. Plus, Russia could use all sorts of nasty weapons to blackmail nations with, or even just airpower alone. they don’t even need to put troops on the ground or use nukes to wreak havoc and destroy their neighbors.

Russia’s real leverage is energy to Europe, this is something no missile shield will ever protect against.