And we don't want that, do we?

ARTICLE: Russia's Reaction on Missile Plan Leaves Iran Issue Hanging, By CLIFFORD J. LEVY and PETER BAKER, New York Times, September 18, 2009

Key quote here comes from Mark Medish, with whom I attended the Russian Research Center's masters program at Harvard in the 1980s:

Much as in the Soviet days, Moscow's praise can be seen as a political kiss of death for Western counterparts. But the criticism misses the point that Mr. Obama has made a hardheaded calculation based on U.S. national security interests and strategic priorities.

Medish is a very smart guy who's worked Russian issues for a long time, serving high up in the Clinton administration.

We can't conduct relations with other great powers on the basis of caving in to our defense contractors' desires to sell, sell, sell. That would be the tail wagging the dog.

Comments

[Ted O'Connor]

Is it really possible that the Military Industrial Complex can be denied something? I hope so. Good move by Mr. Obama. Amazing how new presidents find themselves trapped by the policies of the previous administrations. The Russians have had a lot of American presidents pointing a finger at them and going "Bang." Remember Reagan's open mike joke about "...the bombing starts in five minutes?" Iran, while trying to look tough, is still apparently worried that American armored divisions may someday come charging across their border. A whole lot of folks still see us as having an itchy trigger finger. Castro still looks out to sea every day to see if the invasion force is headed his way. All we really want to do is send cruise ships full of tourists and maybe sell them some new buicks, not to mention a Wall Mart or two. Obama and his people still have to work around deals and attitudes connected to U.S. administrations that go back 30 years. How the h___ did Pakistan end up supporting the Taliban? Who told the Saudis to finance the Mujadheen and the Muslim fanatics? Why can Israel keep dragging us into never ending regional conflicts? A lot of old file cabinets to look in.