Leon Rozmarin

As the administration of President Obama backtracks on the imperial ABM commitments made by the G.W. Bush team, we hear voices from some U.S. experts, senators, and representatives, that the system in Central Europe is needed to contain Russia and rescue the region, rescue failed authoritarian regimes – Saakashvili, and even rescue people that prefer closer relations with Russia and that reject NATO membership – like the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians.

As the administration of President Obama backtracks on the imperial ABM commitments made by the G.W. Bush team, we hear voices from some U.S. experts, senators, and representatives, that the system in Central Europe is needed to contain Russia and rescue the region, rescue failed authoritarian regimes – Saakashvili, and even rescue people that prefer closer relations with Russia and that reject NATO membership – like the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians.

These arguments are unconvincing, especially since Russia has greatly reduced its armed forces over the past 20 years and has continued to argue for arms control treaties in conventional and strategic weapons. Yet one also suspects that now more and more we are beginning to find out about the ulterior motive for these installations. As Russian leaders suspected, some U.S. analysts and policymakers now admit: The system has a Russian element and, on its own merit, the Iranian factor is intellectually bankrupt a s the rationale for deployment in Europe, much less in Poland and the Czech Republic. This is another way in which the G.W. Bush legacy in foreign affairs is burdensome and hard to sell to critical, independent countries.

Shall the U.S. apologize to Poland and the Czech Republic? It was presented to all that the ABM deployment decision was mutual, and benefitting both sides: the U.S. and the latter two countries. Now it is clear to these states and their voting citizens that the latest decision to stall was taken in Washington. One wonders where was the original decision to place these systems taken in the first place. 
Leon Rozmarin
Massachusetts, USA