A Missile Defense Deal between the U.S. and Russia

On April 2, 2008, I read an article in the Star Ledger titled U.S. Tries to assure Russia on missile defense deal. The U.S. is scrambling to seal a missile defense deal this weekend with Russia. The U.S. guarantees to assure the Russians the system is not a European military threat aimed at them. The U.S. has pledged that it won’t activate new site in Poland and the Czech Republic unless Iran proves itself an imminent threat to Europe by test-flying a missile capable of reaching the continent. President Bush will assure Russian President Vladimir Putin of this on Sunday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi; hopefully this will set the strategic framework for better relations between the two countries.

This article could be used to enhance my lesson on the Cold War Challenges. This article shows how countries attempt interventions in order to prevention aggression. If an agreement is met, then the intervention worked; if it did not further negotiations and diplomacy are needed. This article shows how the U.S. is actively protecting itself from outside threats. It shows that the U.S. put it time and effort to maintain a balance of power with the world powers. These are all lessons which my students need to understand in studying how the U.S. operates in the world.