Putin defiantly irrational on missile defense

Guardian:

President Vladimir Putin yesterday declared that a new arms race and cold war with the west had begun and announced that Russia would retaliate against US missile defence plans in Europe by pointing its missiles at European cities.

In a hawkish speech that sets the stage for a frosty G8 summit this week, Mr Putin launched an extraordinary broadside at the west over missile defence, Kosovo and democratic standards.

Mr Putin will meet George Bush, Tony Blair and other world leaders on Wednesday in the German Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm for their annual meeting. In an interview released last night he made his most strident attack yet on western power.

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On missile defence, Mr Putin said that if the Bush administration installed elements of a missile shield in eastern Europe, Russia would retaliate by training its nuclear missiles on European targets. Russia has not specifically aimed its missiles at Europe since the end of the cold war but, asked if it might do so again if the US missile shield went ahead, Mr Putin said: "Of course we are returning to those times. It is clear that if a part of the US nuclear capability turns up in Europe, and, in the opinion of our military specialists will threaten us, then we are forced to take corresponding steps in response."

"What will those steps be? Naturally, we will have to have new targets in Europe."

He said: "We want to be heard, we want our position to be understood. But if that does not happen, we lift from ourselves any responsibility for the steps we take in response, because we are not the ones who are initating the arms race in Europe."

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It is hard to make any coherence out of Putin's position on the missiles to defend against an attack from Iran. He is not now targeting Europe so how do defensive missiles effect his current posture? They don't, and even if he were targeting Europe, they would be inadequate to stop an attack from Russia which could easily overwhelm the defense. The defensive missiles would be effective against an attack from Iran. Putin's position appears to be that the West should subject itself to nuclear blackmail from Iran for some unstated reason. His position is so illogical and his bluster so ridiculous that it will be hard to find any common ground.