A formal announcement will be made later today (expected 13:00 GMT) that President Obama will abandon the Bush scheme to site anti-missile missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic. These were trailled as protecting US bases in Europe against attack from "the long range missiles being developed by Iran".
While the alleged Iranian development of long range missiles was the excuse given by the Bush junta, Russia saw the proposal as a direct threat and a breach of strategic defense limitation treaties. This soured relations and led to such problems as the limitation on overflights to supply forces in Afghanistan. Russia also stationed its own missiles in the Kalingrad exclave in the heart of the Baltic states.
Earlier reports from the US said it would be dropped because Iran's long-range missile plans were less advanced than predicted.
Czech President Jan Fischer said US President Barack Obama had notified him of the change of plan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
An article in the New York Times explains how the missile system along with the associated preferential diplomatic treatment to the central European states had been used to "divide and rule" the European Union.
Throughout the Bush administration, the East Europeans had supported the U.S. war on terrorism. They had broken ranks with many other European Union countries in supporting the invasion of Iraq by sending troops. They had turned a blind eye to renditions and interrogation centers (though there were also West European countries that did that).
"The East European countries went out on a limb for America during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Ron Asmus, director of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. "Now they feel they are getting whacked."
The move also represents a change in relations with Russia.
Much more important for the administration is its goal of "resetting" its relationship with Russia after years of neglect by Mr. Bush. Russia, whose support is needed for issues like Iran, nuclear proliferation and the Middle East, dwarfs the importance of any East European country for Washington.
The move will also ratchet down the confrontation that Bush had promoted against Iran and could well be a signal to Israel that the Obama administration will not be their big stick to bully others in the region. This message seems to be getting through as the Israeli defense minister is now downplaying the importance of Iran.
Israel's mass-circulation Yedioth Ahronoth daily quoted Barak, the head of Israel's centre-left Labour party, as saying "Iran does not constitute an existential threat against Israel."
In response to a question about Tehran's nuclear program which Israel has said it sees as destined to produce atomic weapons that could put its existence at risk, Barak said in an interview with the paper: "I am not among those who believe Iran is an existential issue for Israel."
Barak said "Israel is strong, I don't see anyone who could pose an existential threat," although he did add that he viewed Iran as a challenge to the whole world.
http://www.haaretz.com/...