Russia's Putin
Showing Weakness?
Poland: Russia's Sign Of Weakness On Polish Missile Base
Warsaw, Poland February 25, 2007. Russia's objection to Poland putting missiles on Polish soil as part of the US missile shield shows either a military or character weakness. The Russians more likely fear not being feared by Poland more than they fear what a paltry 10 missle's could do to the overall Russian missile might.
If 10 missle's on Polish soil could have any real effect of a launch of Russian missiles against the US, then the Russian missile system is in sad shape.
The Russians surely know that it would be a foolish US military planner who would think that the US could protect itself against a Russian military launch with 10 interceptors. The Russians are sure to know that even if their military is not up to par, the threat that it might be is enough to cause potential attackers caution.
And then there is a very practical consideration. The interceptors are so close to Russia that any Russian missiles would have long passed Poland before the interceptors were launched. Any Russian planner should know that.
So why all the Russian bluster and posturing?
With US missiles on Polish soil, Poland is firmly in the US camp. And that may be a big blow to the Russian ego.
Russian leaders have not been able to get over their loss of the ability to dominate Poland and the accompanying loss of self awarded prestige. And it seems that it is particularly grating to them to have Poland act like it really is independent of Russian influence and is a real member of the European Union.
Russia wants to be "important" again. And dominating Poland helps make it important.
Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski hit it right on when he said in Warsaw on February 20 that recent vocal Russian opposition to U.S. plans for a missile-defense system with sites in Poland and the Czech Republic shows that Moscow hopes to regain a "sphere of influence" in Eastern Europe
The stakes are high for Poland. It either knuckles under to Russian pressure or it digs in its heels and goes forward making its own decisions without looking over its shoulder worried about what the Russian Bear will do.
The "Financial Times" quoted Eugeniusz Smolar, who heads Poland's Center for International Studies, as noting that "considering the relative weakness of the EU's common foreign and defense policy, it comes down to the question [of whether] we want the Americans in...or out."
It also quoted Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vondra as saying that "if we turn our back on this [U.S.] request, there is a threat that the [United States] will back away from Europe. If the Poles and the Czechs reject the [request], the Americans will [respond] accordingly." Radio Free Europe
Opting to having "the Americans in" will be a slap on the snout of the Russian Bear. That will not sit well with the Russian people who want their glory days of being a feared world power. So they are objecting.
And the strength of their objections shows just how insecure they are.
In the end that can cause more problems for Poland. The Russians may look at other ways to get even with Poland for the slap on the snout.
They are just too weak to take rejection.
Is Poland strong enough to reject them? See Did Putin Seal The Missile Shield Deal For Poland?
