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Earlier this month, we blogged about President Barack Obama’s reported offer to Russia to cancel plans to build missile defense shields in Poland and the Czech Republic in exchange for Russia helping the U.S. deal with Iran’s possible nuclear weapons. Despite a New York Times report and lots of news coverage about a “secret letter” Obama sent to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to that effect, the president denied reports of such an offer.

The Czech Republic sees the writing on the wall. Last week, the government “temporarily pulled back” from parliament agreements between the Czech Republic and the U.S. to install missile defense radar. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said, “This does not mean we would give up on the ratification process. We will return to this issue after talks with the U.S. administration and after the NATO summit in Strasbourg and Kehl.”

But Poland is still holding out hope. On Sunday, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said his country had taken “something of a political risk” when signing an agreement to build a missile defense shield and that the Czechs “patiently wait for the new administration, and we hope we don’t regret our trust in the United States.” (Reuters)

Representative Ellen Tauscher, expected to be announced as the new Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, said the missile system will have to be proven viable before deployment (as one would expect).

During the Bush administration, the U.S. assured Russia that missile shields in Poland and the Czech Republic were for defensive purposes, but Russia has remained doubtful.

(Photo credit: AP/Alik Keplicz)

 
The U.S. reached a deal with Poland last year to install a missile defense shield in Poland. Since then, our Congress has stalled on funding the project, and Poland’s parliament has not approved the agreement. President-elect Barack Obama seems less than enthusiastic about the plans moving forward, although he talks tough on missile defense.

Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland’s Foreign Minister, is hanging his hopes on the new president. “I hope the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama, led by strategic security considerations, will continue the installation of missile defenses.”

While Russia considers the base to be an offensive move, the U.S. and Poland maintain that it’s a defense strategy to protect Poland against attacks from rogue states like Iran and North Korea.

Speaking of North Korea, the U.S. says the country has developed nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems. Naturally, the U.S. is concerned about the numbers of such weapons in Northeast Asia, as countries like Pakistan and India develop missile systems.

Five years ago, North Korea denied developing a nuclear program. But that denial is implausible. From the report: “The derivative danger from North Korea or Iran is that they may pass nuclear weapons or nuclear technology to others. Proliferation elsewhere remains a strong possibility, particularly in East Asia.”

Former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger implied that North Korea has become a bit arrogant in thinking the U.S. would retaliate “with conventional forces.”

As President George Bush leaves office, the new president will have to deal with North Korea’s nuclear build-up. Stephen Hadley, national security adviser, said the rogue state might see the new administration as an opportunity to renegotiate a denuclearization deal. Obama seems open to such a renegotiation.

(Sources: Reuters and The Korean Herald)