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| Europe | |
| Obama: U.S. Commitment to Eastern Europe Security 'Sacrosanct' | |
| 2014-06-04 | |
I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money... Tuesday proposed a $1 billion plan to finance extra U.S. troop, air and naval rotations to "new allies" in eastern Europe amid an East-West showdown over Ukraine. The "European Reassurance Initiative," which must be approved by Congress, would also build the capacity of non-NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... states including Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to work with the United States and the Western alliance and build their own defenses, the White House said. "The United States stands by its allies, as they have stood by us," said a White House statement issued in Poland where Obama began a European tour. If approved, Obama's plan would amount to his most concrete effort yet to reassure allies in eastern Europe and to signal to Russia that its actions over Ukraine will be met with a firm U.S. response. The statement noted that "newer allies" of the United States in eastern Europe were "deeply concerned by Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea and other provocative actions in Ukraine." The initiative would increase exercises, training and the rotational presence of air and ground forces sent from the United States into Europe. It would include detachments of U.S. planners sent to eastern European states and lead to the prepositioning of equipment and improvements in infrastructure that could be used by NATO forces to deploy swiftly. The statement said the plan would see increased "participation by the U.S. Navy in NATO naval force deployments, including more persistent deployments to the Black and Baltic Seas." The White House also said that in addition to the proposed plan, Washington would review its force presence in Europe "in the light of the new security challenges on the continent." It cautioned however that the renewed focus on Europe following a drawing down of forces in the region after the Cold War would not come at the expense of the "rebalancing" of U.S. power to the Asia-Pacific region. | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #11 Didn't the western powers say something like this before Sept. 1, 1939? Sure did Poland a hell of a lot of good. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2014-06-04 19:22 |
| #10 Brilliant, Zenobia. And tragically true. |
| Posted by: Sgt. D.T. 2014-06-04 19:06 |
| #9 How nice, when your chain has been yanked, To hear Barry say "sacrosanct," For he's bound by his word Like Houdini interred, So he's sure to look shocked when you're shanked. |
| Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 2014-06-04 15:21 |
| #8 Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Poland: you too are screwed! |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2014-06-04 15:12 |
| #7 What's even more disturbing is that he obviously hasn't learned anything from his Syrian red line flub. He just keeps on making the same mistakes over and over again. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-06-04 14:30 |
| #6 Hear that, Poland? |
| Posted by: gorb 2014-06-04 13:24 |
| #5 Barack Obama has your back! Yeah, baby!!! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2014-06-04 12:55 |
| #4 The problem is that the US & Western political class believes that neither Western territory nor Western freedom and sovereignty are 'sacrosanct.' The West has already surrendered to one form of alien tyranny in the face of an enemy who is pathetically weak. Why shouldn't the West make major concessions to another, milder tyranny supported by a military power that is not so weak? The worst consequence of losing the 9/11 war is the erosion of Western deterrence. Rational soviet leaders had to predict American responses in light of WW2. 21th century serious adversaries will do so in light of 9/11. |
| Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 2014-06-04 09:25 |
| #3 Red Line. ok /sarc off |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-06-04 08:13 |
| #2 I'm afraid "O" is all hat and no cattle. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2014-06-04 08:08 |
| #1 "If you like your Eastern Europe you can keep it." |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2014-06-04 07:08 |