Anyone want to weigh in on this? Article linked below covers the basics pretty well.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/world/europe/18assess.html?hp

 

IMO it's probably the best move, both for the politics and for the technology. It still focuses attention on the most likely threats of Iran and North Korea, while being less provocative towards our Russian allies. And it makes a statement that we're not giving up on proven and reliable technologies, as Obama promised during his campaign.

 

What do you all think?

I'm still a little new to the issue, but from what I've encountered thus far today, I find your points spot on. Seems the best of all worlds, while strategically light years ahead of what the Bush team was attempting. I'm rather confident we'll still see Putin and crew saber rattling over this, but he doesn't really have a leg to stand on with the way things are being described, and claims of US imperialism would appear to be completely specious based on the way the implementation plan has been put forth.

 

ZCMW9u-lokk

I was never really a fan of the ground-based missile defense. This seems to be both a politically and strategically good move. As development of Iranian ICBMs like Shahab-5/6 seems to be going at a near glacial pace, it doesn't seem like missile defense is a huge priority anyway.

One of the nice things about the politics of this is that even if the system isn't very effective, Iran can't be positive that their medium-range missiles will hit their targets. And it sends a very clear (and more universal) message to Iran on the political front at the same time. From Tehran's point of view it's a lose-lose, which means from our POV it should be seen as a win-win.

 

Not that that will stop the right-wing pundits from ripping the heck out of it, I'm afraid.

Indeed. The first I heard of it this morning was incessant radio-babble about how Obama was Putin's bitch.

This is by far the most cost effective plan, and it's also the most likely to postpone WWIII (or, to stay friends with the rest of the world, including Russia). Win-Win.

 

And the right wing idiots in the USA are either sponsored or brainwashed by the huge "defense" ("offense") industry which has enjoyed increasing budgets for years in a row... and which absorbs a very significant part of the GDP... and surely has some money for a nice lobby.

It appears that, in response, Russia is scrapping their missile defense system too.