| ID | 087874 |
| Title Proper | Action and Counteraction |
| Other Title Information | Can Russia and the U.S. Reach Agreement on Missile Defence? |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Victor Yesin |
| Publication | 2009. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Washington's plan to deploy a European segment of its missile defence system is a most sensitive issue and a major pet peeve of Russia - U.S. relations. Many observers agree that the ability of the sides to find a compromise solution to this problem would be indicative of the prospects for bilateral ties in the years to come.
PASSIONS OVER THE THIRD POSITION AREA
The planned third position area of a U.S. global missile defence system would include silos with interceptor missiles in Poland (the Ustka military range near the town of Slupsk in Pomeranian Voivodeship) and a missile defence radar in the Czech Republic (the Brdy military area near Jince, 60 km south-west of Prague). The first and second position areas of the ground-based echelon of the U.S. strategic missile defence system are deployed on the territory of the United States - in Fort Greely, Alaska and at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, respectively.
The decision made by Washington in late 2005 to deploy a third position area near Russia's western border was taken by Moscow as a threat to its national security. (For more on this subject, see "Missile Defence Challenges" by Pavel Zolotarev in Russia in Global Affairs, N 3, July-September 2008.) To allay Moscow's fears, the George W. Bush administration made several attempts between 2006 and 2008 to convince the Russian leadership that the third position area was not directed against Russia. |
| `In' analytical Note | Russia in Global Affairs Vol. 7, No. 1; Jan-Mar 2009: p96-101 |
| Journal Source | Russia in Global Affairs Vol. 7, No. 1; Jan-Mar 2009: p96-101 |
| Key Words | Action ; Counteraction ; Russia ; U.S ; Agreement ; Missile Defence |