Russia to deploy short-range missiles near Poland

Maybe the US should have voted in the Republicans - they'd never pull a stunt like this with Palin's tough record against Russia.

Thank God she's still there in Alaska as our first line of defense when Putin rears his head.

Russia never "change" because it always wants to negotiate in a much more powerful position than its opponent and this is typical. One thing for sure that Russia has sensed some weakness in "change" America and wants to test straight away.

Poor Russia. They've attacked Georgia and are now pointing missiles at Poland. What little democracy they have left is going by the wayside. Their stock market has lost a higher percentage of value than any country in the West. Oil prices have dropped to half of what they were. Neighboring countries are scrambling to either join Nato or purchase American defensive missiles. Other countries are working to find ways to get resources from countries other than Russia.

How did they fall so far so fast?

imagine if russians employed missiles on cuba and then exclaim that hopefully one day americans will realize that it isn't really against then, it's aimed at i don't know, columbia? honduras? how democratic the us response would be do u think?

Bholder

You evidently don't understand the difference between the offensive ICBMs that the Russians deployed in Cuba and the defensive missile shield designed to shoot down offensive ICBMs...

USNinJapan2......even if he did understand the difference between offensive and defensive missiles...do you think it would really matter?

"One thing for sure that Russia has sensed some weakness in "change" America and wants to test straight away."

Sorry, but the only thing that's for sure is a two-fold fact: 1) bush and his regime pushed the sales of military weapons and defense for their profit, at the same time straining ties in the region to the point where the Republican ticket was even throwing out the word 'war' as part of their campaign. 2) It is indeed up to the US to mend ties, and since Obama adopted the mess from the bush regime it is up to him to perform the difficult task of cleaning it up. Fortunately, he can -- or at least he can turn the US from going into the complete wrong direction into going closer to the correct one, if not fixing things completely.

so how about letting russians install defensive systems only in some country close to us mainland? if us let them do that they might as well stop fussing about poland and win-win for all... the facts are that us is taking aggressive approach to foreign policy, much more so than any other country, and then feigns surprise at the lack of "democraticity" when other follow suite. good ole do as i say not as i do

also, note that the russian missiles the article talks about are actually on russian soil, while us goes thousands of miles away from its territory to erect the system. so us should be allowed to do anything anywhere on planet and no one can even protest, let alone just say that they might try to do something in response? note, in response, as in being forced into reaction by us actions first. bholder beholds blatant double standards... wish it was only bholder but...

george bush and Poland decided to place anti-ballistic missiles in Poland and Russia said they'd retaliate.

That's what they are doing.

Surprised? I'm not. < :-)

A good way to show Russia's goodwill

The anti-ballistic missiles that Poland and the U. S. want to deploy is a platitude of goodwill. < :-)

You evidently don't understand the difference between the offensive ICBMs that the Russians deployed in Cuba and the defensive missile shield designed to shoot down offensive ICBMs

The different in brief: offensive missiles work; defensive ones don't.

Nessie

If they don't work why is Russia upset? Principles?

Poor Russia. They've attacked Georgia...

The repeated lie becomes true, does it?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7692751.stm

USNinJapan2......even if he did understand the difference between offensive and defensive missiles...do you think it would really matter?

Again? Never ending tune... "defensive" weapon... No such a thing, it cannot be! Until then there is a weapon that's all, or is the U.S. going dismantle all "offensive" one? :)

Sorry, but the only thing that's for sure is a two-fold fact: 1) bush and his regime pushed the sales of military weapons and defense for their profit, at the same time straining ties in the region to the point where the Republican ticket was even throwing out the word 'war' as part of their campaign. 2) It is indeed up to the US to mend ties, and since Obama adopted the mess from the bush regime it is up to him to perform the difficult task of cleaning it up. Fortunately, he can -- or at least he can turn the US from going into the complete wrong direction into going closer to the correct one, if not fixing things completely.

Smith....could you be more vague?

Umm Yes we have defensive missles, we also have defensive only gun systems.. The patriot system is a defensive missle. Seawhiz is a defensive gun system...

What Georgia did was wrong, but Russia attacking further in was wrong also..

May I ask a question?

How does Poland feel about these missiles? Were they rammed down their throats or did they somewhat ask for them. I recall many Polish people in Chicago talking about life under the Soviet Style government days. It wasn't at all too pleasant. Why can't they have a friend to kind of block Russia?

Umm Yes we have defensive missiles, we also have defensive only gun systems.. The patriot system is a defensive missile. Seawhiz is a defensive gun system...

These elements are part of a system which is built to deal with an attacker and/or/then attack itself but surely not just ward off strikes.

No its not an attacking system at all, infact they dont have the ability to target anything other then incoming threats.. No attacking only defense.. Heres some links to help you along in understanding them...

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/systems/mk-15.htm

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/patriot/

Enjoy

big strong europe will make the russkies stand down.

mark joe biden's words.

How does Poland feel about these missiles?

Before Russia's invasion the support numbers were somewhere around 30% and no one knew if there would even be a deal or not. Within days of the start of the war, support went up to 70% and Poland basically signed the deal overnight.

Obviously Poland decided to bolster their defensive capabilities because of Russia's aggression. Russia, along with global liberals, obviously feel that Russia needs to bolster their offensive capabilities because of Poland's aggression.

No its not an attacking system at all, infact they dont have the ability to target anything other then incoming threats.. No attacking only defense.. Heres some links to help you along in understanding them...

This argue foreseeably goes in circles... I know that these systems are used as elements of defense but they ARE the part of a bigger military machine.

Like a tank, it has armor and gun you cannot separate one from other to leave an entity intact.

it all comes down to this: does a sovereign country have the right the deploy troops etc. within it's own borders in response to military movements and deployment from other countries around it? it's clear who's breaking the status quo and who's responsibility it would be should things escalate from here.

also, remember constant disregard by the us for russian (then ussr) unilateral cuts in weapons and armament, especially nuclear, all the way from the 70is onwards. so this is not really a matter of one single issue here. for those who forget... to me at least, it's clear which side is aggressive and always pushing further and further and which just acts when forced to. but that's just the way bholder beholds

A nut cup has nothing to do with the gloves you get hit with.. one is defensive the other isnt. The patriot system is a stand alone system.. Based on your logic any weapon is offensive because it is part of a military that has offensive weapons... Since the sdf has weapons does that make it not a defensive force?..

Its not a circle but you are chasing your tail like a dog instead of trying to understand the simple fact the weapons in question are not offensive and cant be used to attack anything, they operate as a defensive system only...

But you are right that NATO does have offensive weapons in the area and they can attack with them... But then again so does Russia...

As far as Russia having the right to do what it wants in its country ... hell yea, but then again Poland (and NATO) has the same right to do what it wants... Since Russia has attacked more countries then the US I will go with the answer Russia is more the aggressor.

Nippon5 "Since Russia has attacked more countries then the US I will go with the answer Russia is more the aggressor."

please elaborate?! more? what history did you learn? let have them, one by one...

us was constantly in war for the last 60+ years, most of them intercontinental

Oh, well, let's have another boring try.

Based on your logic any weapon is offensive because it is part of a military that has offensive weapons... Since the sdf has weapons does that make it not a defensive force?..

Exactly, that's why weapon doesn't need any additional bogus characteristics like defensive or offensive. It's a part of military which itself is simply a tool of a state.

One should not pay attention to declarations: once SDF is a defensive force another day is not, once proclaimed "defensive" weapon protects against "rogue" rocket starts, finger snap, and its a vital part of offensive messianic operation to "bring a democracy to a dictatorship".

As far as Russia having the right to do what it wants in its country ... hell yea, but then again Poland (and NATO) has the same right to do what it wants...

No problem, just less hypocrisy about "peaceful U.S." and "we have no russophobia" too.

Since Russia has attacked more countries then the US I will go with the answer Russia is more the aggressor.

Good joke :)

No problem, just less hypocrisy about "peaceful U.S." and "we have no russophobia" too.

One could ask the very same from Russian, less hypocrisy about "peaceful Russia" and "we have no Ameriphobia(Westphobia)" too. It seems that Russia like any good Orwellian state likes to use the "west" as a nice deflection of problems faced inside the country.

us was constantly in war for the last 60+ years, most of them intercontinental

The only reason Russia has not had that many intercontinental wars in the past 60+ is that they could not afford to and did not have the power to but that has not stopped them from trying to bully their much smaller neighbors.

it was up to Washington to mend badly damaged ties.

And Russia has done nothing at all to cause thier relationship to sour. Relationships are a two way street that need both sides to work to mend damages. Oh well, all Russia can do is talk and pretend their opinion actually matters.

You evidently don't understand the difference between the offensive ICBMs that the Russians deployed in Cuba and the defensive missile shield designed to shoot down offensive ICBMs...

USNinJapan2 : defensive missile shield are defensive in nature but they are also designed to be offensive. if it can shoot an incoming hostile missile it can also shoot bombers and fighters within its radar and besides that, range and radius can be increased and enlarged at will. no wonder russians feel threaten and that's the reason why they install their own "defensive" system as well.

The burden of proof is on you Beholder.. Show me the wars that America has been the attacker.... since I said "Since Russia has attacked more countries" and then show me the lack of attacks by Russia that you claim(which started in the 9th century, but you can start with 1721 when it became the Russian Empire)

Show me a comparision to prove your statement... As far as intercontinental, well gosh could it be Russia attacks its neighbors and America is not doing such...

SDF member.. wow no problem I can go with your theory... since a black man robbed a store yesterday all black men are thieves.. Since a woman was selling her body on the street corner in Shibuya last night all woman are whores.. Since a Japanese mom killed her son all Japanese mothers are murderers .. a white man raped a woman so all white men are rapist...

Life isnt just one color..

But if you feel a defensive item is considered offensive because its part of a group, then thats your opinion no matter how demented and off the wall it is..... And I shall not try to change your mind other wise because I have learned that those who judge based on belief instead of fact never see the truth...

Enjoy......

sdf crew member, rickyso

I'm sorry but you are misinformed. Defensive anti-missile systems like Patriot, Sea Sparrow, RAM, and CIWS are designed to intercept inbound missiles. Their targeting radar and warheads (if they have one) are designed to hit small high speed missiles and CAN NOT be used to target stationary or slow moving targets like buildings, vehicles, ships or aircraft. This doesn't mean that you technically can't fire one at one of these targets but then again you could try to run over your enemies with an ambulance as well. I wouldn't think that would categorize the ambulance as an offensive weapon though, do you? Also, any CO/operator who uses one of these defensive systems to attack an enemy unit wouldn't be keeping his job very long...

Bottomline, these missile defense systems are designed and deployed by countries for one purpose, to intercept missiles that have been fired at them with the intent to damage or destroy their assets. They cannot be used to damage or destroy anything that hasn't been 'fired' at them. Rationalize it all you want, but if a country doesn't ever intend to attack its neighbors using such missiles then it shouldn't have any issues with its neighbors having this kind of defensive capability.

I'd like to know how much that Russian Mafia plays into this. They basically have invaded Brooklyn and Miami. Scary folks! I almost wish the US wouldn't mess with Russians, just let them through. They are one type of people I have no issues walking away from if an altercation were to arise.

Poor Bholder....heh

STEP 1: Make false accusations

Bholder: The US is putting missiles into Poland that can strike Russia.

Response: No, they're strictly defense weapons.

STEP 2: Try your hand at analogies

Bholder: Imagine Russia putting missiles close to the US...for example....uh.....for example some other country that's close but is also worried about the US attacking like....uh....somewhere.

Response: What?

STEP 3: Expose your bias

Bholder: Eh? OK so I was wrong about the facts of this case so I'll just say that the US are aggressors just because I don't like them.

Response: LOL!

It seems to me that if you had started with Step 3 we could have wrapped this up 15 posts ago. You got held up a bit when you tried to pretend that you had legitimate criticism as opposed to being a below-average anti-American.

One could ask the very same from Russian, less hypocrisy about "peaceful Russia" and "we have no Ameriphobia(Westphobia)" too. It seems that Russia like any good Orwellian state likes to use the "west" as a nice deflection of problems faced inside the country.

:) It's a true. Now Russian population developed a strong antiamerican sentiments even liberals did, maybe except a marginal pro-western group. It happened gradually step by step, and Russian government and media have a minor role here... As to Orwellian state I can point the finger at a half of dozen countries carrying the same taint claimed to be open minded and democratic.

The only reason Russia has not had that many intercontinental wars in the past 60+ is that they could not afford to and did not have the power to but that has not stopped them from trying to bully their much smaller neighbors.

U.S. and Russia have many common features :)

USNinJapan2 at 09:21 AM JST - 7th November

Yeah, comes to mind: "The cruel and treacherous enemy has launched attacks on our planes that were peacefully bombing its cities"

Seriously, please, don't pretend you have no clue. These systems are intended to protect anything - civilian buildings, schools, hospitals, ships, strike groups, military command centers... against terrorist attacks, accidents, counter strikes, retaliation... And someone cherish a hope that similar systems will remove letter M from M.A.D., in future.

USNinJapan2: the notion is, defensive shield system are often covert for offensive system as well. imagine if all military hardware, software and personnel are deployed for defending purposes what makes you think they wont shift to offensive mode in times of need?