Obama Foreign Policy: Slap your Friends, Appease your Enemies

President Obama gave Vlad the Impaler the green light last week when he announced we're retreating from our European missile shield plans.

"Betrayal! The U.S. sold us to Russia and stabbed us in the back," the Polish tabloid Fakt declared on its front page. (AP)

The Economist, a respected British publication, observes that either the Obama Administration does not understand Central Europe, or it doesn't care.

The timing of the announcement is poor, coming on September 17th, the anniversary of the Soviet attack on Poland in 1939. In a country highly tuned to symbolic snubs, it matters that nobody in Washington seemed to know or care about that.

The news was broken clumsily too: the Czech prime minister was woken by a brief phone call from Mr Obama the night before the decision was made public.

This is a shame. These countries escaped Communist Russia's clutches a scant 20 years ago. They are a little more attuned to reality and it's darker side than their Western cousins who laze under the US Security umbrella while criticizing their protectors. Eastern Europe and the Caucasus really are the frontiers of freedom, and we are abandoning the inhabitants to fend for themselves against an angry, vengeful bear.

This shield was not just about protecting Europe. More importantly, it was about building military ties and common interest partnerships with these Eastern European countries who genuinely admire the United states while still rightly fearing Russia. Unlike "allies" like France and Germany, these and other Eastern European countries field real armies that do real work. Remember that Poland has its own zone in Iraq. Romanians guarded Kandahar Airfield, ranging outside the wire, when I was there.

The Economist reader comments are telling:

earnil wrote:

Very, very good article. One of few that dares to point out Russian - German honeymoon. There's really no one else left to defend CE and EE countries as Old Europe already proved several times, that it's willing to exchange our nations for promise of peace any time.

BTW - recently publicly disclosed report of Czech intelligence agency shows, that there are clear connections between major public anti-base platform and Russian-influenced sources and also, that Russian intelligence agencies made one of their major objectives to undermine public support of US bases in CE. Guess situation in Poland has to be same. Clearly, this is a victory for Russian intelligence services.

BEK7 wrote:

Realistically, Europe has no other option than the USA as respects defense. The enormous costs of self-defense by Europe makes it highly improbable that they will pick up the burden of self-defense.

Doing so would cause a complete meltdown of the social welfare model in Europe. There is no political will to do so.

So the only alternative to the USA leaving is for Europe to admit that it is defenseless. Can you say "We surrender?"

For good commentary from a man who's been there and back, read Ralph Peters's commentary "Obama Feeds Allies to the Bear."

WaPo - Ronald D. Asmus