Dropping the Missile Shield

What concession did President Obama get from Russia for canceling the proposed missile defense shield?

Transcript:

This is DEFCON 3 by KT and I’m KT McFarland

President Obama just cancelled the missile shield we had promised to Poland and the Czech Republic -  but it’s not clear what, if anything, he got in exchange.

The missile shield would have put American military personnel in Russia’s backyard, in countries that were recently part of the Russian empire, and which Russia would like to control again.  The thought of it drove them nuts. They should have paid dearly to get it dropped, like cooperating with us to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Only time will tell whether there was a quid pro quo, but there are three things we should watch for in the next few weeks:

-will russia delay or halt delivery of the state-of-the-art air defense system it’s promised Iran? Israeli PM Netanyahu went to Moscow recently to plead with the Russias to stop its delivery. Once  Iran gets the S-300 system, an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites would be nearly impossible.

-Will russia join with us in a gasoline embargo on Iran? Iran imports 40% of its gasoline – an embargo would force them to the negotiating table, quickly, and ready to make a deal. If Russia blocks an embargo at the UN, or cheats on it were it passed, it would take all the teeth out.

-Will russia stop helping Iran’s nuclear enrichment program? Without Russian assistance, it will be more difficult and take longer for Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

If President Obama got one or more of these concessions, cancelling the missile shield might have made sense, especially if we retain the right to have  a ship based system.  But if he’s cancelled it without extracting one or more of these from Russia, hoping instead that the goodwill gesture would convince the Russians to come to our assistance, then he just got snookered and we’re moving closer a world where the Mad Mullahs have the Bomb.

That’s DEFCON 3 by KT and I’m KT McFarland