Russia: The Playground Bully?

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is apparently ‘astonished’ to hear that Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, asked NATO and the US to deploy troops in Europe to provide ‘some strategic reassurance’, on a recent visit to Washington.  Since the scrapping of the US Bush-designed missile defense scheme which would have seen troops deployed in Poland and Czech Republic, the former has apparently been feeling vulnerable . . .

Kim Zigfeld points out on Pyjamas Media that Russia’s recent war ‘games’, which simulated a full scale pipeline-sabotaging missile-battering attack of Poland, taking place in the same month that seventy years earlier Russia did actually invade, is hardly likely to reassure the Poles of the good intentions of its neighbors.  Zigfeld suggests that Obama’s policy of playing nice with Russia is encouraging brazenness on the part of the Kremlin:

Not only did Russia refuse to reciprocate Obama’s unilateral gesture by supporting sanctions against Iran, it began practicing the use of missiles against a now defenseless Poland. Obama has alienated and panicked all of Eastern Europe while reaping nothing in terms of improved relations with Russia. Instead, he’s convinced the Russians they may do as they please. It’s hard to imagine how Obama’s reckless gambit could have failed more spectacularly.

Over at Hot Air, Michael Van Der Galien asks the obvious question:

Could someone please explain to me why Russia would simulate such an attack, if it has no plans whatsoever of attacking Poland? As far as I can tell, the only other possible explanation is that Moscow wants Warsaw to fear it.

But there’s a more important question. Can someone please tell me why Obama would ignore such a simulation if he has no plans to acquiesce in the erection of a new Iron Curtain across Europe? As far as I can tell, the only other possible explanation is that he didn’t even know it happened.

Read the whole article here.