missile shield news stories on Newser

Obama Secures NATO's OK on Missile Defense

savageviking — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 05:03:00 CST

After a rough month, President Obama scored a badly needed success in Lisbon yesterday when NATO leaders agreed to a long held US desire to establish a missile-defense shield that will ultimately cover all member states. Two major stumbling blocks were overcome when Turkey dropped its objections after receiving assurances...

Nobel Jury: Obama Is the Right Choice

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:58:24 CDT

The Nobel panel that gave the peace prize to President Obama is strongly defending its choice amid widespread criticism. "We simply disagree that he has done nothing," said chairman Thorbjoern Jagland. Another of the five panelists said of critics: "Where do these people come from?" The four who returned calls...

Pragmatic Style Makes Gates White House Heavyweight

Rob Quinn — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:26:25 CDT

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has bridged the gap between the Bush and Obama administrations and become a major player in reshaping national security policy in the process, officials tell the New York Times . His pragmatic style—as seen in his decision to ditch the missile defense system he signed off...

Obama's New Missile Plan Offers Better Defense: Gates

Nick McMaster — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:41:09 CDT

The Obama administration is upgrading missile defense plans in Europe, not abandoning them, writes Robert Gates, the author of the Bush-era plans recently scrapped, in a New York Times op-ed. The previous plan would not have installed the proposed 10 long-range interceptors in Central Europe until at least 2017, while...

Russia Silent on Iran Concessions

Rob Quinn — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:39:57 CDT

While Russia's leaders praised President Obama's decision to drop plans for a missile shield in Eastern Europe yesterday, they were conspicuously silent on whether they would, in return, join the West in pressuring Iran to halt its nuclear program, the New York Times reports. If Russia doesn't start taking a...

Pawlenty Rips Obama's Pre-9/11-Style 'Appeasement'

Will McCahill — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:11:53 CDT

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a possible Republican presidential contender in 2012, tonight compared President Obama’s diplomatic moves on Iran, North Korea and the missile shield to pre-World War II and pre-9/11 “appeasement,” Politico reports. “The lessons of history are clear,” he told Christian conservatives. “Appeasement and weakness did not stop...

Mac's Missile Shield Rant Off Target, Forgetful

Will McCahill — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:45:53 CDT

Sen. John McCain’s savaging of President Obama over shelving the Eastern European missile shield could hardly more disingenuous, David Corn writes for Mother Jones . McCain said he hadn’t heard of the technology Obama plans to use instead, but not only did he publicly praise Obama for boosting funding for it,...

Putin Praises US for Ditching Missile Shield

John Johnson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:08:55 CDT

In a development sure to further tick off President Obama's critics on the right, Vladimir Putin says he's quite pleased with the decision to scrap an American missile-defense system in Eastern Europe, the New York Times reports. “I very much hope that this correct and brave decision will be followed...

Dropping Missile Shield Is Jab at Bush—Not US Allies

Will McCahill — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:32:10 CDT

President Obama’s decision to shelve the missile shield for Eastern Europe is appeasement only to those obsessed with “legacy threats” like Russia, Marc Ambinder writes for the Atlantic . Obama believes the threat from Iran was overstated by President Bush, and that the shield technology wasn’t a sure bet to work...