Poland Signs Up for U.S. Missile Defense
As part of a wide-ranging defense mechanism for protection from ballistic missiles, the Polish system will consist of U.S. rockets linked to a ballistic missile defense radar system to be hosted by the Czech Republic.
Russia has repeatedly voiced concerns over the system, and threatened recently that the emplacement of rockets in Poland could subject that country to a future attack. The United States has maintained throughout that the system is purely defensive in nature and is designed to protect parts of Europe from rogue launches originating in states like Iran.
Tensions between the United States and Russia have become heated recently as a result of Russian intervention in the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia. After Georgia launched a military operation August 7 in the province, Russian forces joined the fray and entered Georgia proper, seizing military bases and critical supply points.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy brokered a cease fire deal that remains fragile as Russian troops maintain their presence on sovereign Georgian territory. The United Nations has been unable to even pass a resolution on the crisis because Russia wields veto power and can block any measure critical of Russian actions.
NATO has said it will reevaluate its position with respect to Russia as a result of the war with Georgia. Georgia is actively seeking NATO membership, which if granted would compel the alliance to defend Georgia against Russian attack. Article 5 of the NATO charter states that an attack on one NATO member state is an attack on all NATO member states.
Russia has become increasingly frustrated with what it sees as western efforts, led by the United States, to encroach on traditional Russian spheres of influence. The ballistic missile defense deal with Poland, in particular, rankled Moscow. Poland was part of the Soviet empire until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Polish officials then began moving closer to the west, and the United States, joining NATO in 1999.
Georgia has also been moving closer to the west and has cooperated significantly with the United States, sending troops to Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition that ousted Saddam Hussein from power. Georgia has also benefited from U.S. military assistance in the form of equipment, funding, and training, and in counterterrorism cooperation.
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