Medvedev welcomes US move on missile defense

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev welcomed Obama’s scrapping of placing parts of the missile shield in Eastern Europe late Thursday night in a statement aired on state-run TV. He called the move “responsible” and said he was “ready to continue the dialogue.”

Many have called the Russian reaction “lukewarm.” What did they expect? Balloons and a victory dance?

Some hawks have decried the move and even the FT warned in an editorial today that the move must be explained with care, lest Russia feel that “if pushed, the US will back down.”

This is not a move that came out of the blue. Members of the Obama administration, particularly his Russia advisers, have been downbeat on the missile defense system since before taking office. It undoubtedly featured in numerous talks with the Russians, including during Obama’s visit to Moscow earlier this year.

The move is smart. Coupled with the revived push by NATO’s new secretary general to call for a new relationship with Russia, the ball is now decisively in Moscow’s court.

The question now is whether a regime that managed to harness the anti-Americanism of the Bush era to push for a louder voice on the world stage (i.e. in the lead-up to the war with Iraq) and for greater popularity at home (through demonization of the US, particularly during the economic crisis) can cast off what has become one of its main ideologies.

Medvedev will likely have kind words when he meets Obama during his trip to the U.S. for the U.N. General Assembly in New York and G20 meeting in Pittsburgh. All Russia watchers, however, will be waiting to hear what Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has to say.

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/russia-and-its-neighbors/090918/medvedev-welcomes-us-move-missile-defense