Post Global, the “collaborative, global” Washington Post blog moderated by David Ignatious and Fareed Zakaria, has posted a smart essay articulating what is likely the next iteration of responses to Obama’s secret letter to Moscow. Written by Jan Jires of Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies, the essay focuses on the very real repercussions to U.S. diplomacy in abandoning the planned missile defense project in Central Europe.

It has always been clear that the real challenge posed to Russia by the missile defense installations in Central Europe is not of a military character, as the Russian government officially argues, but of a purely symbolic character. Russians are frustrated by the fact they are no longer treated as a veto-wielding actor in Central European affairs. They also know that the Czech and Polish governments want to participate in the project in order to strengthen their ties with the U.S., to anchor America in Central European security, and to demonstrate that their countries are not, at least politically, in “Russia’s backyard.”

It makes little sense to quarrel about how this paradigm shift occurred. The real challenge now is: In case the Obama administration decides to abandon the project, it should do so cleverly and manage the process in a way that secures the political interests of the United States and its Central European allies.

There are two important things at stake. The first is the traditionally Atlanticist orientation of Central European allies. The second is the future of Russia’s foreign policy, especially in the country’s vicinity.