What do you think about the U.S. putting up Defense Shields in Europe?

Question

How do you think Putin will react as of right now?
Do you think we will face another Cold War?
Why is Putin so upset about this strategic plan?

And what other thoughts do you have about this topic?

Answer 1

Imagine how you would feel, being an American, if Russia placed missiles (it's not just a radar!) at your borders. Iran and North Korea against which these shields are meant are situated in a slightly different direction so putting up the defense system in Chech Republic and Poland is at least dubious. It makes sense to place them farther to the East. I don't think Europeans feel great about this idea either. As far as I know the majority of Chech population are against it.
Taking the above into account, this makes it a totally geopolitical action aimed at marking the territory of American control. I think a compromise should be found, otherwise it will not lead to anything good.

Answer 2

Putin is upset because Russia is being hemmed in along its western & southern borders by American bases, which are being established in ex-soviet bloc countries. The missile shield is simply the latest development in the assertion of global US borders.

The missile shield is a white elephant, in that it will only defend against US & coalition missiles, and won't touch any of the latest Russian and Chinese technology. The whole missile game is one of cat and mouse, and in the case of the missile shield, it sounds great on paper, but in practice the lead time from design to implementation is simply too great. Remember this shield was originally proposed in 1986, so it's 21 years old already. The truth is, you don't need a defensive shield if you have a reasonable foreign policy, and the fact that the US insists on building one says much about how the current administration views the rest of the world.

The long term US objective in the mid and near east is to put a US base in close proximity to every location where oil and gas exists in abundance. The lines are being drawn for a future energy war, and major US corporations are ensuring that they are in the game when it comes. The missile shield is simply a part of this jigsaw, and it is this greater game that Putin is really upset about. The Russian oligarchs tried to stage a smash and grab on Russia's gas and oil supplies, but failed and since Putin has taken resources back into national hands, the war of words with western oil interests (via governments) has intensified.

They say it's never about oil, which in a way is true - it's about energy and he who controls access to energy in the 21st century will run the world.

Answer 3

The one thing that is absolutely certain about military technology is that it eventually gets superceded by superior military technology. The Chinese have successfully launched a sattelite killer missile, which could negate the effectiveness of a missile shield. Maybe it would make a lot more sense to make peace. It would be an awful lot cheaper too.

Answer 4

Russia is becoming smaller and weaker by the day. It is highly unlikely there will be another Cold War. Putin is just trying to hold on to the memory of the mighty U.S.S.R.

Answer 5

In the grand scheme of things, the "cold war" is nothing more than who has the bigger penis.

Bush shot his load in Iraq. Anything else is mute and mere posturing.