Dissident heroes from the age of the Iron Curtain, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel and 20 other Central and Eastern European intellectuals, policymakers and leaders have penned an open letter to President Obama on the perils facing US-NATO relations should he cave to the Russians --- and they should know:
Despite the efforts and significant contribution of the new members, NATO today seems weaker than when we joined. In many of our countries it is perceived as less and less relevant - and we feel it. Although we are full members, people question whether NATO would be willing and able to come to our defense in some future crises.
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Many in the region are looking with hope to the Obama Administration to restore the Atlantic relationship as a moral compass for their domestic as well as foreign policies. A strong commitment to common liberal democratic values is essential to our countries. We know from our own historical experience the difference between when the United States stood up for its liberal democratic values and when it did not. Our region suffered when the United States succumbed to "realism" at Yalta. And it benefited when the United States used its power to fight for principle. That was critical during the Cold War and in opening the doors of NATO. Had a "realist" view prevailed in the early 1990s, we would not be in NATO today and the idea of a Europe whole, free, and at peace would be a distant dream.
With regards to planned European missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic, they write:
[T]he thorniest issue may well be America's planned missile-defense installations. Here too, there are different views in the region, including among our publics which are divided. Regardless of the military merits of this scheme and what Washington eventually decides to do, the issue has nevertheless also become -- at least in some countries -- a symbol of America's credibility and commitment to the region. How it is handled could have a significant impact on their future transatlantic orientation. The small number of missiles involved cannot be a threat to Russia's strategic capabilities, and the Kremlin knows this. We should decide the future of the program as allies and based on the strategic plusses and minuses of the different technical and political configurations. The Alliance should not allow the issue to be determined by unfounded Russian opposition. Abandoning the program entirely or involving Russia too deeply in it without consulting Poland or the Czech Republic can undermine the credibility of the United States across the whole region.
UPDATE: Welcome, Jawas, LGF, National Review and memeorandum.
It's sad their words will be wasted on deaf big ears... Now if they were third world dictators....
Posted by: col.smeag | July 20, 2009 at 06:16 PM
As I keep saying, if Russia has no intention of shooting ballistic missiles at its neighbors then it should have no problem with them having a system that only shoots down ballistic missiles. GIGO.
Posted by: 2Hotel9 | July 20, 2009 at 06:27 PM
Also from the Gazeta Wyborcza of Poland: Why East European Leaders Have Issued a Plea to Mr. Obama -
http://worldmeets.us/gazetawyborcza000021.shtml
Posted by: William Kern | July 21, 2009 at 01:46 AM
These two brave individuals and the free societies they helped establish are simply out of luck. For the first since WWII the President of the United States cannot claim to be the leader of the free world. The words liberty or freedom do not commonly pass through his lips.
Posted by: iopian | July 21, 2009 at 12:22 PM