U.S. Willing to Roll Back Missile-Defense Plans in Europe?

First of all, every real expert said the missile defense shield wouldn't work. A system that works 80% of the time is useless. It's certainly not worth spending trillions of dollars if it makes us or our allies not safer.

Secondly, ICBMs are not very useful or even necessary. Even if Iran could build a nuclear bomb it would take them many more years to develop ICBM technology. There are many better ways to deliver a nuclear weapon these days. Spending all this money to protect us against ICBMs while not, for instance, protecting our ports, is like locking two doors on your four-door car.

Third, we and Russia have some common concerns. I think Obama is right to try to find a diplomatic solution, to find common cause with Russia.

GW Bush's foreign policy was a disaster. I think we could give Obama a chance to try a more reasonable alternative.

They have been "working" on that thing since Nixon was President.

[Bushehr is twelve kilometres from the site of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant being built in cooperation with Russia. The work was begun by the Bonn firm Kraftwerk-Union A.G., a unit of Siemens AG, which contracted to build two nuclear reactors based on a contract worth $4 to $6 billion, signed in 1975.

Work stopped in January 1979, and Kraftwerk-Union fully withdrew from the project in July 1979, with one reactor 50% complete, and the other reactor 85% complete. They said they based their action on Iran's non-payment of $450 million in overdue payments. The company had received $2.5 billion of the total contract. Their cancellation came following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Iran subsequently requested that Siemens finish construction, but Siemens declined. Shortly afterwards Iraq invaded Iran and the nuclear programme was stopped until the end of the war. The reactors were damaged by multiple Iraqi air strikes between February 1985 and 1988.

In 1995, Russia signed a contract to supply a light water reactor for the plant (the contract is believed to be valued between $700 million and $1.2 billion USD). Although the agreement calls for the spent fuel rods to be sent back to Russia for reprocessing, the US has expressed concern that Iran can reprocess the rods itself, in order to obtain plutonium for atomic bombs.]

Why don't we allow our European allies pay for and develop this system?

Why are US taxpayers going to be on the hook for it?

The EU is large enough and powerful enough to handle the costs of this system on their own.

Besides, the location where those missiles are staged will do little to protect Europe from incoming Iranian rockets. The system was designed to keep Russia at bay, not Iran.

Russia isn't our concern right now with oil at $35/bbl.

It would be nice if the missile defense sytem actually worked....like being able to actually hit an incoming missile....My point being....Iran isn't going to start launching missiles at anyone....it would be much cheaper, easier, and more effective to slip one in a briefcase, and just walk it across the border. Iran's "missiles"....and our "Missile defense shield" are nothing more than political chess pieces.

It makes perfect sense.

It is not our territory. Europe is just as advanced as us, they can fund and manage their own defense.

It is not fair, or moral, for Americans to be forced into funding military projects all over the world. It has too many unintended consequences.

Also, some time ago, we promised Russia we would not build missiles on their doorstep.

Butter and maple syrup, in simple terms like it shows on the bottle. I fairly have been paying for those interior the plastic jug which you purely upload water. I frequently get them out, i devour breakfast out approximately 4 or 5 situations each week.

Because his lack of foreign policy experience has given him the insight to leave our allies in Europes back door open to attacks. Only proves yet again that the press failed in their vetting process in the rush to get Obama elected. No matter what the cost to you, I or our ally's. Their slobbering reality must be achieved.

Ah, yes! It makes a lot of sense...peace in our time.

Let our useless allies protect themselves!!!!