Bush Sees 'Urgent' Need for Missile Defense

Michael Hayden says it would have backfired then, and would now, too

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush's administration pondered an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities and ultimately rejected it, says former CIA and NSA chief Gen. Michael Hayden. He and others concluded that an attack on Iran's nuke factories "would guarantee that which we are trying to prevent—an Iran that will spare nothing to build a nuclear weapon and that would build it in secret," Hayden said, according to Foreign Policy . The same rationale holds true today, he warned: Go with diplomacy and back channels or risk pushing Tehran into speeding things up. More»

Critics charge that Obama may have scrapped missile shield for nothing

(NEWSER) - 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 harder line against Iran, Obama will be seen as have caved in to Russian demands while receiving little in return. More»

Obama & Co. see Russia, Iran threats differently

(NEWSER) - 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 anyway. Now, US money is focused on more immediate threats—and the move could win Russian goodwill on other pressing concerns. More»

Kremlin delighted as Obama administration ends Bush program

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration will scrap Bush-era plans to build a missile defense shield in eastern Europe, sources tell the Wall Street Journal—a move expected to delight Russia, which has strongly opposed the program. Washington is basing its decision on a new, more modest assessment of Iran's long-range missile capabilities. Instead of focusing on long-range attacks, the White House will encourage NATO allies to develop regional defenses for short- and medium-range missiles. More»

(NEWSER) - Not all foreign leaders prefer Barack Obama to George W. Bush. Joshua Keating of Foreign Policy lists five heads of state who probably miss Dubya:

• Silvio Berlusconi. "The conservative Christian from Texas and the lecherous billionaire" were good buddies; Bush hosted the Italian president often at his ranch and declined to call him out on his personal indiscretions.
• Benjamin Netanyahu. Bush gave Israel almost unconditional support and, according to the PM, tacitly agreed to allow the “natural growth” of existing settlements in the West Bank—something the Obama administration disputes.