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Europe
U.S. missile shield is provocation: Austrian minister
2007-08-23
VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Defense Minister Norbert Darabos has called U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in eastern Europe a "provocation" reviving Cold War debates. "That the United States are installing a defense shield in eastern Europe is a provocation in my view," Darabos was quoted as saying in an interview with daily Die Presse on Thursday. "The U.S. has chosen the wrong path in my opinion. There is no point in building up a missile defense shield in Europe. That only unnecessarily rekindles old Cold War debates."
Thank you, Minister Pissant. Always helpful to hear what the Austro-Hungarian Empire has to say.
The remarks drew a swift reaction from Washington. "We view the Cold War as being over. Such comments are not helpful and we now face a new strategic environment that requires us to move beyond Cold War thinking," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said. "We've been open and transparent with all E.U. and NATO allies on this, and we'll continue to do so. We're discussing missile defense with the Russians," Gallegos said at a news briefing.

Darabos said he saw no danger from Iranian long range missiles and the United States should try for a different solution.
"We could always buy them off. It's worked for us Austrians in the past," he added.

A memo to our Y'urp-peon allies: we're doing this pretty much out of the goodness of our hearts. We're designing the system, and we'll pro'ly end up paying for about 90% of the development and installation. We think it's useful to let the Iranians know that they won't be able to rattle a nuclear sabre at your continent for a long, long time. We think there are certain advantages to that for you and us together, like, for example, survival. But if you disagree and don't want a missile defense system on your continent, we'll be happy to back down.

Understand however, that we won't leave our military in a Europe that is defenseless against a strike from a single (or a few) crude Iranian missiles. We can't justify that to our people, especially to our military people who run the risks so that we can be free. So if you won't want the missile defense system, we'll be happy to cancel the installation, and we'll be happy to pull out of NATO the very next day. We'll strike some side deals to keep access or facilities here and there where it meets our interests, but we'll no longer consider an attack on Berlin, Brussels -- or Vienna -- to be the same as an attack on New York. You'll then be free to handle European defense in whatever way you think best.

And if you manage to start yet another world war, we'll observe quietly from across the pond.
Posted by:Steve White

#13  Putin has Europe by the energy balls (gas pipelines, mainly). So they have to say these things otherwise Putin will get upset. Ask Lithuania or Ukraine what happens when Putin gets upset.

BTW, I didn't know that Lithuania has a flat (income) tax system. Good for them!
Posted by: Spike Ebbairt4868   2007-08-23 22:21  

#12  The only Europe I still recognize are East European countries, Poland, Czech... but the western part may well be inhabited by aliens from Omega Centauri. Not Alpha Centauri, mind you, they seem to be all omegas, in a gallop who gets the "peace of our times" bumazhka first.
Posted by: twobyfour   2007-08-23 22:19  

#11  One of my favourite Tom Lehrer songs, lotp. :-)
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-08-23 20:40  

#10  The problem with letting Europe implode unimpeded is that they have nuclear weapons, courtesy of the NATO Multilateral Force decision taken years ago. This was prescient:

Sleep, baby, sleep, in peace may you slumber,
No danger lurks, your sleep to encumber.
We've got the missiles, peace to determine,
And one of the fingers on the button will be German.

Why shouldn't they have nuclear warheads?
England says no, but they all are soreheads.
I say a bygone should be a bygone,
Let's make peace the way we did in Stanleyville and Saigon.

Once all the Germans were warlike and mean,
But that couldn't happen again.
We taught them a lesson in 1918
And they've hardly bothered us since then.

So, sleep well, my darling, the sandman can linger.
We know our buddies won't give us the finger.
Heil - hail - the Wehrmacht, I mean the Bundeswehr,
Hail to our loyal ally!
M L F
Will scare Brezhnev.*
I hope he is half as scared as I!

Comments from 1964 on France and the MLF decision here.
Posted by: lotp   2007-08-23 20:12  

#9  I think it's time for someone to get on the European/Russian mediad with a series of charts showing that the Earth is a sphere and missiles coming from Iran would go right over Eastern Europe while missiles coming from Russia would go over the pole and avoid Europe altogether (unless aimed at Europe in which case the planned bases would not help).

So in general the hub-bub is because Russia wants to sell missiles to Iran and/or simply villify the west to help consolidate dictatorial powers and they are using morons such as Defence Minister Darabos along the way.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2007-08-23 20:10  

#8  Read - USSR imploded once, Post-USSR Fascist-for-Communism RUSSIA can do it again. Strong military power must be backed up by strong economic power.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2007-08-23 19:16  

#7  "U.S. missile shield is provocation: Austrian minister"

Fine. Then much as I'd hate to see the beautiful old buildings of Austria destroyed, we'll be glad to not shield YOU.

And by the way - notice how you don't have to speak Russian? You're welcome.

Idiot.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2007-08-23 18:06  

#6  Europe needs to defend itself. They hate us when we stay. They hate us when we leave. They can take care of their own defense now, in their own green and Kyoto-like way. We need to stop our enabling behavior with these governments. Cause--->Effect. They are capable of learning, unlike many of their ME neighbors.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2007-08-23 17:58  

#5  Austria was a neutral during the Cold War, so what's its problem? There isn't anything in Austria worth wasting a bomb on anyway.
Posted by: RWV   2007-08-23 16:51  

#4  Darabos said he saw no danger from Iranian long range missiles and the United States should try for a different solution.

Okay, Norby. When the track says inbound Vienna, we'll just let 'em on through so we don't piss you off...
Posted by: tu3031   2007-08-23 16:36  

#3  Yes... Dictators and religious nuts always think it is provocative to not give into their beliefs and do what they tell you.

Silly us.
Posted by: DarthVader   2007-08-23 16:30  

#2  We should leave EUrope unprotected now. It will become more and more problematic to do so as Europe becomes more and more Islamic. At 30% of the population, they'll have effective control of vote hungry governments that are unwilling to deal with the domestic unrest that comes with failure to submit. Do we really need to wait till Brussels or Amsterdam adopts sharia "democratically"?
Posted by: Shatner Thrick2337   2007-08-23 16:16  

#1  U.S. missile shield is provocation: Austrian minister

Why, yes it is. How kind of him to notice. We are purposefully provoking other nations to defends themselves as well or better against missile attacks.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-08-23 16:08  

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