Czech Republic Pulls Out of US Missile Shield
Defense Minister Irked at Trivial Involvement
Putting an end to years of controversy, the Czech Republic has announced that it is withdrawing entirely from the US missile defense plans for Europe. The nation’s Defense Minister, Alexander Vondra, said his government wanted to participate but “definitely not in this way.”
The Bush Administration’s plan was to install missiles in far eastern Poland, along the Russian border, and to build an advanced radar station in the Czech Republic. The plan sparked major protests among Czechs, and polls showed a strong majority opposed to the involvement, fearing it would make the nation a target in the event of a US-Russia war.
But the government remained steadfastly in favor of the plan, until President Obama revised the plan and announced a smaller, more southerly shield. Under his plan, the Czechs would play only a minor role, with an “early warning system” installed there.
Incredibly it was this, and not the massive domestic opposition, that ended Czech involvement, as Minister Vondra lashed the offer of the system as a “consolation prize.” Though the large numbers of protesters opposed to the nation’s involvement may feel relieved now, officials say they would be open to renewing their involvement if the US ponies up a larger role for them.
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Claus Eric Hamle
June 15th, 2011 at 9:23 am
Trident missile engineer Bob Aldridge -www.plrc.org- wrote on the missiles in Bulgaria, Romania and Poland: "Whether they are on ships or land, they are still a necessary component for an unanswerable first strike." This leads to Launch On Warning, probably by 2014. Bloody fools in the Pentagon !
robertsgt40
June 15th, 2011 at 11:48 am
Most empires die of indigestion…biting off more than they can chew.
andy
June 15th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Shows how the political class don't give a s*** what the people want.
Adam_Smith
June 15th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
By customary statistical standards, the Czech Republic has a strong democracy with Freedom House, for example, awarding the government a rank of 24th best out of 150.
Such scores, in my opinion, are misleading. In most well regarded democracies, most of the time, the people are sheep willing to be herded by their governments and in little need of repressive discipline. The governing elites are, however, autocratic when they feel the need.
Wise citizens insist on very strong constitutional restraints with effective institutionalized enforcement upon their leaders even when, or especially when, they don’t seem to be needed.
gary
June 15th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
don't want u.s.help? thats crazy talk…look at iraq,afhanistan,somalia.etc. look how good theyare doing with our "help"
Jaime
June 15th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
The Czechs love their stick sprinkled with a little carrot.
rybo1
June 15th, 2011 at 11:09 pm
Good for the common sense Czech people and a curse on their groveling politicians!
Popsiq
June 16th, 2011 at 9:35 am
Did the Czechs find out that the US had Prague and Bratislava targetted for the 'nukuler' treatment back in the 'bad old days' and come to the realization that having a 'nuclear shield' only extended the number of US targets, rather than actually protecting anything?
Good for them. Now the Poles need to wise up, too. The Rumanians and Bulgarians are in love with their new 'freedumb.'
Bianca
June 16th, 2011 at 11:23 am
This is exactly what all politicians in Europe and US do to the wishes of their people: ignore them. Romanians and Bulgarians are not happy, but who cares about what they think. Poles do not care for it either, but Vatican can always sprinkle a great deal of Polish Catolic nationalism by poking at Russia.