East European Officials: U.S. Betrayed Us

Shift in U.S. Missile Defense System Plans in Poland, Czech Republic Stir Strong Reaction By Allies

(CBS/AP)  President Obama is feeling heat from some quarters after deciding to drop the Bush administration's missile defense plans in Eastern Europe.

Republicans say the president's decision is naïve, while Democrats say the new plans will do more for defense and diplomacy with both Iran and Russia than the missile program, which had increased tensions in the region.

Moscow had resisted President Bush's plans to install interceptor missiles in what it considered Russia's backyard.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski said he was concerned that Mr. Obama's new strategy leaves Poland in a dangerous "gray zone" between Western Europe and the old Soviet sphere.

Recent events in the region have rattled nerves throughout central and Eastern Europe, a region controlled by Moscow during the Cold War, including the war last summer between Russia and Georgia and ongoing efforts by Russia to regain influence in Ukraine. A Russian cutoff of gas to Ukraine last winter left many Europeans without heat.

The Bush administration's plan would have been "a major step in preventing various disturbing trends in our region of the world," Kaczynski said in a guest editorial in the daily Fakt and also carried on his presidential Web site.

President Kaczynski's editorial (in Polish)

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he still sees a chance for Poles and Czechs to participate in the redesigned missile defense system. But that did not appear to calm nerves in Warsaw or Prague.

Kaczynski expressed hopes that the U.S. will now offer Poland other forms of "strategic partnership."

In Prague, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said he made two concrete proposal to U.S. officials on Thursday in hopes of keeping the U.S.-Czech alliance strong: for the U.S. to establish a branch of West Point for NATO members in Central Europe, and to "send a Czech scientist on the U.S. space shuttle to the international space station."

An editorial in Hospodarske Novine, a respected pro-business Czech newspaper, said: "an ally we rely on has betrayed us, and exchanged us for its own, better relations with Russia, of which we are rightly afraid."

The move has raised fears in the two nations they are being marginalized by Washington even as a resurgent Russia leaves them longing for added American protection.

The Bush administration had said its missile plans were aimed at countering any threat from Iran's ballistic missile program. But Poles and Czechs saw it as protection against Russia, and Moscow too considered a military installation in its backyard to be a threat.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said last summer that a U.S. deployment of an anti-missile system close to Russian borders "will of course create additional tensions," and might be met with a military response.

"They don't want us messing around [in] former client states of the Soviet Union," Michael Crowley, senior editor at The New Republic, told "Early Show" anchor Harry Smith. "They saw that as hostile, although it really wasn't about Russia."

Saying that the old Cold War foes must forget any lingering animosity, the head of NATO appealed for unity Friday, calling for the U.S., Russia and NATO to link their missile defense systems against potential new nuclear threats from Asia and the Middle East.

"We should explore the potential for linking the U.S., NATO and Russia missile defense systems" to our mutual benefit, Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

Russian envoy Dmitry Rogozin praised the NATO chief's address for its "very positive tone," but added that "cooperation with Russia is not a matter of choice [for NATO but] of necessity."

Speaking in Brussels yesterday, Rogozin also advised against "childish euphoria" over the U.S. decision to drop construction of a land-based missile plan. "Washington has simply corrected its own mistake and has chosen a more flexible and efficient approach to its global missile shield. ... I believe we can say that the new system will have missiles placed on military naval vessels, which is not very good for Russia, because military ships can be in one location one day, and near St. Petersburg the next."

Meanwhile, the front-page headline of today's largest Czech daily, Mlada Fronta Dnes, declared, "No Radar. Russia won."


Walking Back Missile Defense

There was tremendous public anger in the host nations over the proposed deals, as well as fears that installation of a missile system in Eastern Europe would spark a new arms race with Russia.

Despite Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg's assurance that the missile defense shield would increase the security of Europe and beyond, only about a third of Czechs supported its government's agreement to place tracking radar in the Czech Republic, which was approved in July 2008, leading to protests in Prague.

In August 2008, after a year and a half of negotiations (and demonstrations by Polish protesters), American and Polish officials signed an agreement in which the U.S. would augment the country's defenses with Patriot missiles in exchange for placing 10 missile defense interceptors within its borders.

(Left: Poles in Warsaw protesting a proposed U.S. missile defense base in Poland, March 24, 2007.)

Now that the Obama administration has scrapped the original plans, officials in the host countries who had supported the program at huge political costs feel betrayed.

"They're thinking we've been sold out," Crowley said. "They're so upset that in Poland they didn't even take the phone call from Hillary Clinton at first. They're very upset at the Obama administration [thinking] 'We went out on a limb.'"

The timing of the decision was unfortunate as well, suggested Crowley, being on the 70th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland. But, he added, the White House is seeking to assure Warsaw that they are not being abandoned and still will be protected from any Russian actions under the revised military agreement.

"But the real deal here is, is this a quid pro quo with Russia?" Smith asked.

"That's the question," Crowley replied. "The Obama administration says there was no quid pro quo and no tit for tat tradeoff, but what you have to do is look to see when we start pressuring the program, we start doing big arms reductions treaty, will [Russia] be playing ball? Will they be helping . . . more than they have been? So look down the road to see if Obama gets something in return."


Replaying Old Battles Over "Star Wars"

Defense Secretary Gates, who was in charge at the Pentagon in 2007, backed Mr. Bush's move then, but now tells reporters that two big changes since have led him to conclude that the Bush approach is outdated.

The first factor, Gates said, was a changed U.S. assessment of Iranian missile capability, which he said was years behind what the Bush administration claimed.

The second was advances in U.S. missile interceptor and missile-tracking sensor technologies, which Gates said allow the U.S. to pursue defensive capabilities through the use of anti-missile weapons based on U.S. Navy ships in the Mediterranean and the waters of northern Europe, plus more advanced land-based interceptors than what the Bush plan comprised.

Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the new proposed plan for Eastern Europe would also offer opportunities in the future to easily upgrade to new systems to expand the capability of defending not only potential European targets but also the United States.

In addition, the new plan is less expensive - roughly half the $5 billion which the Bush plan would have cost.

Gates' explanations did little to shield the administration from a barrage of political strikes by Republicans who portrayed the president's shift as a weak-kneed capitulation to Russia and an abandonment of U.S. allies.

Before Gates had even finished his news conference, House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio issued a statement accusing President Obama of a "willful determination to continue ignoring the threat posed by some of the most dangerous regimes in the world." He said Mr. Obama's decision had sold out the allies and empowered Iran.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., likened it to appeasement.

The ideological schism is not new. Supporters and skeptics has tussled over a missile "umbrella" since the defense system got its first boost from President Ronald Reagan in his famous "Star Wars" speech of March 1983.

The Clinton administration quickly killed the Reagan program, but a scaled-down version was revived by President George W. Bush, leading to a decision in 2007 to go ahead with the system in Europe. Mr. Bush also gave the go-ahead in 2004 for a U.S.-based system to defend against a long-range missile threat from North Korea.

[jwesel1]

If the public in those countries likes this but the government officials don't, then the US government made the correct decision to honor the will of the people.

[militarylover]

"Obama needs to cut this stupid,"
It's said more and more celebrities and militaries have their profiles on a great military dating site______Meetmilitary . C O M______The best club for seeking uniformed singles, sexy beauties and even hot celebs...You should check it out!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[reality42]

PEACE?? Americans love war in Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia , Panama, South America, Iraq, Afganistian,Pakistian, next Iran but i'm safe to say not Canada as they have lost 2 wars to them 1776 and 1812
The world can live in peace if we forget about war, greed and selfishish.

[ibsteve2u]

Does any evidence exist that would suggest that our right - our chickenhawk armchair warriors who fear only the draft when they start a war - would have EVER fought alongside the Poles and Czechs?

Or is it far more likely that our right would use the people of Poland and the Czech Republic as cannon fodder to blunt any angry Russian reaction, while they exploited the resultant global turmoil for the profit to be made at selling arms and/or speculating in oil and natural gas?

I fail to remember that last Administration - or the right - loading upon aircraft and rushing to the aid of Georgia on August 8th, 2008, though they made the same brave-from-a-distance noises that the right are making now regarding the Czech Republic and Poland.

[ibsteve2u]

I.e., our placing missiles in those two countries would do little - tactically AND strategically speaking - but provide Russia with an excuse.

Had Russia launched an attack to destroy same, all you would have heard from our right would be "pops" as the air rushed in to fill the vacuum created as the right disappeared to their trading desks in heavily fortified "undisclosed locations".

And I can hear it now: "But you Americans don't say anything when Israel launches attacks to take out perceived threats!"...and with that, Russia would have immediately won over greater than half of the United Nations.

[prometheus21]

Polish President Lech Kaczynski said he was concerned that Mr. Obama's new strategy leaves Poland in a dangerous "gray zone" between Western Europe and the old Soviet sphere.

How can you be left in a dangerous "gray zone", if no-one was proposing to spend TRILLIONS of U.S. dollars that U.S. taxpayers didn't have before Bush woke up one day and said, "where next?"

I'm hearing things in the American "free press" and from parasite nations like Poland and Israel that should provoke OUTRAGE from a bankrupt U.S. economy. Can you ******* just shove collective heads back up your ass and die, INSTEAD?

[zzacrat]

Gee, if I was a liberal, I would smoke a joint, and go to McDonalds and buy me a Fat Belt Buster with me food stamps!

[Magvitum]

Dear CBS: president Obama pledged to get rid of the defense systems in Poland during his campaign. Therefore the reason they did it now was NOT due to "new intelligence that said no more long distance weapons".

2) Obama chose to do this NOT ON THE 70th aniversary of the NAZI !!!! INVASION!!!! but on the aniversary of the SOVIET!!!! INVASION.

Why all your misinformation??? We have means to bypass you, you know?

[american_11-2009]

Either friends or foes can trust Obama or the Democrats...Their Corruption & hate for American is deep rooted and comprised of a side of American that decent Law abiding people citizen never see. One made up of Terrorist, Criminals, Racist hate preachers, Black Muslins, ACORN, ACLU, Al Raza, and other Marxist, Socialist organizations all dedicated to the destruction of this Nation and his Constitution!

[bradkt1]

To the governments of Eastern Europe (especially Poland):

You are being silly if you ever thought that the American people would ever have supported the United States going to war with Russia to protect you. There is no vital national interest anywhere in Eastern Europe that would warrant the intervention of the United States. You were hoping to lure the United States into making a committment to locate a strategic asset (an anti-missle defense site) there that would have been nothing but a trip wire that would all but assure military intervention by the U.S. if you were attacked by Russia.

Well, it didn't work and I am glad that it didn't. You would have been under the illusion of a U.S. defense umbrella that never existed in the first place. You should have learned from history. Did Britan and France protect Poland from invasion by Germany at the beginning of World War II? They made treaty committments to protect Poland that they were in no position to keep...and we wouldn't be in a position to protect Poland or any other country in Eastern Europe today.

Your countries have nothing to fear from either Iran or any other country in the Middle East. For you, this was always about Russia.

[aeronautic1]

Obama is going to get us all killed.

[gboyd41]

Poland, feel lucky that you are several thousands of miles away from the USA. You could be here, but I wouldn't wish that upon you. Good luck!

[JohnGaltExpress]

PREMIER BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA HAS ROYALLY SCREWED OUR ALLIES AND HAS MADE ALL OF US (THAT INCLUDES YOU) LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF WEAK, INCOMPETENT SISSIES!! HE HAS COMPROMISED THE SECURITY OF EASTERN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES. I'M STILL WONDERING WHICH SIDE PREMIER BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA IS ON!!!

**I HOPE ALL THE SOCIALISTS OUT THERE ARE SATISFIED. IN THIS ADMINISTRATION TAXES WILL GO THROUGH THE ROOF FOR ALL AMERICANS, THE DEBT WILL BE INSURMOUNTABLE, NATION'S SECURITY WILL BE COMPROMISED, INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES AFRAID TO EVEN DO THEIR JOB WITHOUT THE PREMIER THREATENING THEM WITH CRIMINAL CHARGES...THAT'S JUST THE BEGINING!!** YEA; THAT?S CHANGE ALRIGHT!!!

[stuart-johns]

This is a brilliant political/strategical move by Obama. Now this is the kind of decisions I expected him to make as President. Good job Mr. President!!

You anti-Obama people have no idea what your talking about. The system Bush had in place only afforded us weak defense and cost billions. By scrapping that system Obama saved billions of dollars.

It additionally affords our troops superior protection as it does to all the nations Bush's system was designed to protect. We already spend billions on warships that have better technology in missle defense than this old cumbersome system Obama shut down had. And they operate at significantly less cost and do a better job.

This also cools tensions with Israel which is good for the Middle East in general. It will improve relations with Russia and ease tensions there. It's a win win win situation.

Brilliant, bold, decisive move Mr. President. I am not saying that as a partisan hack. Really, this was a stroke of political brilliance. And good for the economy too.

I have to smile because even Fox News just a bit ago was talking about this and all three republican commentators praised this move. They also said that about 2% of Americans have any real knowledge of the subject.

So your own party says that you are in the 2%. I base that on your woefully ignorant post.

[caddillackid1]

I'm a supporter of Obama, but I do not want USA to appear weak on world stage. Russia is so weak, i dont think any of us have anything to worry about. We are more of a threat to them than they are to us. I'd like to see Obama throw his weight around a little more...that Joke of a President Putin is madd because Obama is more powerful the he. Putin is a joke

[JohnGaltExpress]

Since you support Premier Obama, are you ignorant or immoral?

[ramos1129]

One of our primary faults is that our leaders cannot shake the belief that we have to protect other countries that will not protect themselves. In this instance, Europe never volunteered to share in the cost of the shield and has not even volunteered to share costs in the revised system which will have protect Europe.

[ramos1129]

Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the new proposed plan for Eastern Europe would also offer opportunities in the future to easily upgrade to new systems to expand the capability of defending not only potential European targets but also the United States.

--------------------------------------------------

The Republicans have to think that Americans are stupid. More than once, then SecState Rice voluntarily stated that the primary objective of this shield was to protect Europe. General Cartwright confirms this. Yet, not one European country ever offered to share in the cost. Worse, the people of the two host countries demonstrated against it.

The new system still protects Europe and they know it. Yet, here also, not one European country has said they will participate in the cost. Why are we such suckers?

[tiredofthebs]

I've said it a million times. The US is NOT the POLICE FORCE for the entire world. Just as there are country that will feel the loss when we quit meddling in their affairs, there are many countries that will be glad to see us go. These countries fear Soviet dominance. My suggestion? Learn to fight your own battles.

[tiredofthebs]

Oops ... Just as there are COUNTRIES

[Aldymac]

When Obamas military cuts start taking effect, we won't even be able to defend ourselves. Don't forget, he promised to cut our military by 35 percent, we get weaker, our enemies get stronger, whose side is Obama on? he appeases his friends, none of them are on our side.

[pvperson3]

"There was tremendous public anger in the host nations over the proposed deals", only about one third supported the plan. Sounds like the only people that wanted the Missile Shield was Bush and the politicians in Europe that planned on making money off it, good riddance to a bad idea.

[lawyertom1]

CBS. YOUR HEADLINE IS GROSSLY MISLEADING. To quote the Polish President, who is in essence a figurehead and bit a nut, is a disservice to this dialog. The new government of Poland ran on a platform of opposition to the Bush missle defense shield, and right from the start made it know how unhappy they were with the plans. They even suggested that they would not honor the commitments of the prior Polish government. It is also important to bear in mind that while the Czech President was a big supporter of the Bush plan, the Czech parliament was much less so. As recently as several months ago, the opposition in the Czech Republic was calling for a national referendum on the plan, which tells you that they thought they had a shot at a "no" voice. I personally support a missile shield, but since it is questionable that the Bush plan would have worked (a huge understatement), let alone been effective (the tests to date have been a joke), President Obama is doing the wise thing and falling back on technology that is more likely to work. Afterall, to have credibility, a shield must work, and anyone with half a brain on this topic knows the Bush technology was, how shall I put it, a farce.

[PVperson2]

"There was tremendous public anger in the host nations over the proposed deals", only about a third favored the plan, sounds like the only people that were for this was Bush and the politicians in Europe that hoped to make money from it, good riddance.