Putin compares US shield to Cuba

[BlueQuarter]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7064428.stm


President Putin said: "Let me recall how relations shaped up in a similar situation in the mid-1960s. "Similar actions by the Soviet Union, when it deployed missiles in Cuba, provoked the Caribbean crisis. For us, technologically, the situation is very similar."

US state department spokesman Sean McCormack said there were "clear historical differences" with the Cuban crisis. "I don't think that they are historically analogous in any way, shape or form."

This ex-KGB Commie, is actually comparing a belligerent move of parking nuclear missiles 90 miles off our coast to a defensive shield that could potentially protect European citizens?

I can see the concern, but I don't believe it will ever be used for a pre-emptive strike.

[scavenger]

Here's why you shouldn't construct shields:

Why doesn't the U.S. start extorting money from random countries under threat of nuclear strike? Because we know, by either implicit or explicit agreement, that every other country in the world would immediately nuke our face off.

Now, if we constructed a shield that made it impossible for anyone to nuke us, the threat of nuking our face off would be nullified. Then we could start taking money from every other country in the world via nuclear blackmail.

This argument applies to all countries: If any country manages to construct a shield, then they can start extorting money from everyone else. So I think there was some international agreement not to construct missile defense systems... yes, indeed:
Article I
1. Each Party undertakes to limit anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems and to adopt other measures in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty.

2. Each Party undertakes not to deploy ABM systems for a defense of the territory of its country and not to provide a base for such a defense, and not to deploy ABM systems for defense of an individual region except as provided for in article III of this Treaty.

Article II
1. For the purposes of this Treaty an ABM system is a system to counter strategic ballistic missiles or their elements in flight trajectory, currently consisting of:

(a) ABM interceptor missiles, which are interceptor missiles constructed and deployed for an ABM role, or of a type tested in an ABM mode;
(b) ABM launchers, which are launchers constructed and deployed for launching ABM interceptor missiles; and
(c) ABM radars, which are radars constructed and deployed for an ABM role, or of a type tested in an ABM mode.
http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/library/treaties/missile-defense/trty_missile-defense_limitations_1972-05-26.htm

[Dayve]

Why don't they just build their own defense system? The big cocky Putin whining like a little baby girl, it's hilarious.

[Stanky105]

Ah, another arms race that could lead to even bigger and better nuclear weapons. Go humanity! :banghead:

[Mahalo]

Cuban Missile Crisis is so spun to make the Ruskies seem like agressors when they were responding to IRBMs in Turkey pointed at Moscow. Kruschev was a liberal as far as Soviet premiers go and wanted to cool down the arms race and Cold War in general. Kennedy-era US government on the other hand was bent on escalation (Vietnam, etc) despite an already impressive lead in nukes/military power.

[_Joe]

Why don't they just build their own defense system? The big cocky Putin whining like a little baby girl, it's hilarious.

They're too busy trying to dig themselves out of the economic mess that communism and cold war made their nation, still.

[halloo]

At least Putin has done more for Russia than Bush would do for the US in 2000 years.

[Mojoe77]

At least Putin has done more for Russia than Bush would do for the US in 2000 years.

You're right. However, Putin is slowly turning Russia back to communism.

[Swindler]

You're right. However, Putin is slowly turning Russia back to communism.

I think authoritarian capitalism would be more fitting. Communism is old news.

[chalupa]

I think authoritarian capitalism would be more fitting. Communism is old news.

I called Putin "Czar" the other day. I think if fits.