A New Arms Race - Putin threatens to target Europe!

The Masters of War - are at it again!
The President of Russia and former KGB chief Vladimir Putin has upped the odds on there being a serious escalation over the row about the U.S. planned Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence System which they hope to station in Poland and the Czech Republic by 2012. The U.S. alledge it is a necessary deterrent towards rogue states like Iran and North Korea. Russia argue that such a threat does not exist and that the growth of U.S. nuclear potential in Europe is a direct threat to their national security.

Hot threats on the eve of G8
Putin told the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera that when the U.S. pulled out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence Treaty unilaterally in 2002 they had strategically altered the balance which was a prerequisite for maintaining peace. Last week the Russians tested a RS-24 missile which successfully struck it's target 5,500 kms away - in other words, they have reminded former members of the Warsaw Pact that they are within range of it's arsenal.
Furthermore, Putin stated that

"if the American nuclear potential grows in European territory, we have to give ourselves new targets in Europe. It is up to our military to define these targets, in addition to defining the choice between ballistic and cruise missiles."

In the footsteps of Warmaking
As the Masters of War make tracks towards Heilegendamn in Northern Germany to forge more promises to the world's poor, only to break them in immediately, the Bushling is due to visit the Polish Baltic seaside resort of Jurata on the famous Hel peninsula, not far from Westerplatte - the birthplace of World War II when the Nazis invaded Poland on September 1st 1939.

Polish Realpolitik
Key issues for the Polish gvt. remain the issue of extra-territoriality, i.e. that the 100 or so U.S. personnel who would work at the proposed military base would have impunity from Polish law, and secondly whether the Polish gvt. are willing to cough up any money to help in it's construction. Opinion polls conducted by a variety of well-extablished research bodies here have found there is overwhelming opposition to the ABM proposal. Of course, there is also the issue of the continued ban by Russia on Polish meat, Poland's partial market dependancy on Russian energy supplies, and the deeply seated mistrust which Poland holds towards the former Soviet Empire, which has historically occupied Poland for over 200 years in past centuries.

Similarly, in the Czech Republic, the vast majority of the public are against the proposed radar base for the ABM system being built hills south west of Prague. Recent unofficial referendums held in 5 towns in the vicinity of where the planned U.S. system would be situated rejected in huge numbers (95%) their gvt.'s enthusiastic ass-licking attitude to the Star Wars base.

I hope to make it to Jurata next week so will hopefully have some news on the resistance being carried out to prevent this insane manoeuvre by the U.S. and the sycophantic behaviour of the Polish and the Czech gvt.s in seriously considering that such heightened militarism can lay a firm basis for ongoing peaceable relations within Europe and the world at large.