Poland and the prospect of hanging
"The prospect of hanging concentrates the mind wonderfully." So said Dr Samuel Johnson and his 18th-century remark has a contemporary relevance for Poland, which yesterday, after lots of horse trading, signed an agreement to base American missile interceptors on its territory. Speaking on TVN24, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the deal includes a "mutual commitment" between the two nations — beyond that of NATO — to assist each other in case of danger.
Although, the interceptors are designed to counter "a shot from an ayatollah direction" and do not threaten Moscow, Vladimir Putin has spent the past two years raging about having them in Eastern Europe. Now, thanks to his aggression in Georgia, the interceptors are going to be next door. But what will really cause him to blow a fuse is the small print because the US has agreed to modernize the Polish armed forces, station a garrison of servicemen in Poland and, this is critical, deliver Patriot Missile Defense Batteries that will allow Warsaw to beef up its air defences. But not just any old Patriots. The PAC-3 is a very capable weapon and is, in fact, an anti-missile missile, which means it could counter short-range Russian missiles.
This capability is suddenly very relevant because it's been reported that the Russians used SS-21 missiles when attacking Georgia and, as Marketwatch notes: "This outward military aggression with the use of ballistic missiles from Russia on a former USSR country sends a very serious message to all former members of the Soviet Block, especially Poland..."
The US and Europe should not seek confrontation with Russia; but after Georgia, there can be no retreat.
