Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Russian good will gesture



Immediately upon the announcement that Senator Obama had won, Dmitry Medvedev sent a telegram of congratulations, welcoming this opportunity for new and better relations with America. And to prove Russian sincerity, he subsequently announced that Russia will be placing SS-26 missiles in Kaliningrad, on the borders of NATO members Poland and Lithuania.

My kneejerk reaction is that it's time to re-enact the Cuban missile embargo, but I'll restrain myself and leave any conclusions to UC's defense policy expert. NV?

Comments:
Any idea what the US under Obama would do, if Russia attempts to do to Poland and Lithuania what they tried against Georgia? This seems like a pretty ballsy move for the new President, along with increasing the term to six years. Thoughts on the whole Russia thing?
 
The UC defense policy expert sleeps well because she knows that Prof. Brzezinski is around to look into the matter in depth...
 
I believe Robert Gates is being floated as the most likely Sec'y Defense in the new Obama cabinet. I'm not sure what that means here... although it is more bad news for Obama's more leftist supporters,(Timothy Geithner, Paul Volcker, or Larry Summers as likely Sec'y Treasury).

To IF: since the Baltics, Poland, and Czech are in NATO, a physical attack on one is to be treated as an attack on all.

I don't believe the Russians would do it.

OTOH, cyber attacks (already done to Estonia), cutoffs of gas shipments, and -- esp. aimed at the U.S. -- financial attacks, wouldn't be out of the question in an unhappier version of the future.
 
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