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How Obama 'reset' our missile shield — to the delight of his corporate buddies and Putin

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libertybele:
How Obama 'reset' our missile shield — to the delight of his corporate buddies and Putin

One of President Barack Obama’s first foreign policy "victories" was his announcement, on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Poland, that he was scrapping the Eastern European missile defense shield the Gorge W. Bush administration had planned with the Czech and Polish governments. This was also a major victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin’s minion Dmitry Medvedev celebrated Obama’s actions: “We appreciate the responsible approach of the U.S. president toward implementing our agreements.”

In other words, pulling back the missile defense shield was part of Obama’s “reset” of relations with Russia. Obama’s idea for a smaller missile shield not in Poland was intended to be “less threatening” to Russia and was greeted that way.



“Obama has been seeking a stronger relationship with Russia,” CNN explained at the time, “and better cooperation from the Kremlin to support tough U.N. economic sanctions against Iran if it continues to pursue its nuclear ambitions."

“Missile defense has been a sore point in relations between Washington and Moscow, with Russia believing the shield would ultimately erode its strategic nuclear deterrent.”

There are debates over which missile defense system better protected Europe (and most weakened Russia), but Obama's change was proposed and accepted as a peace offering to Putin at the time. The biggest beneficiaries were the corporations that were closest to the Obama administration.

Immediately after Obama clawed back Bush’s missile shield, Russia welcomed Obama’s favorite big businesses. “Shortly after the pullback on the shield programme was announced,” reported Reuters at the time, “Russia's government said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would meet several U.S. executives on Friday from firms including General Electric.” ............

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/how-obama-reset-our-missile-shield-to-the-delight-of-his-corporate-buddies-and-putin

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