Missile defence shield a burden

Poland and the US have reached agreement on the stationing of a missile defence system aimed at fending off a potential attack from Iran. The daily De Volkskrant writes that the agreement comes at an inconvenient moment in view of the crisis in the Caucasus: "[The defence system] has yet to prove its true value; it is supposed to offer protection against a danger that does not yet exist but will place an increased burden on the already tense relations with Moscow. ... Following the gesture of solidarity with Warsaw a gesture of understanding towards Moscow would not be an unnecessary luxury in this area, particularly considering that the defence system will not be fully operational until 2012 at the earliest. There are many arguments in favour of postponing construction of the facilities in Eastern Europe and examining whether it would not be possible to ward off the Iranian threat through increased diplomatic and economic pressure instead."

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