Sometimes there's a need to chill out a bit after hearing/reading commentary that can be considered rhetorically provocative.

We're living in an era of greater trash talking.

In some circles, Medvedev received too much flack for his comments made during his recent state-of-the-nation address.

He by no means initiated a spirit of overt negativity. During his race for the presidency, Obama made a good share of negative and arguably unfair comments about the Russian government.

Hoping for better relations between the US and Russia. It's in the legitimate interests of both countries.

Sarkozy is not board with the missile defense system. Sounds like a nice opportunity for France to play broker between Russia and America. Looks like Obama and Medvedev are going to cut a deal.

Sarkozy questions US missile shield plan By ANGELA CHARLTON, Associated Press Writer Angela Charlton, Associated Press Writer 1 hr 52 mins ago

NICE, France – France's U.S.-friendly president sent a clear message Friday to the next American administration: Plans for a U.S. missile shield in Eastern Europe are misguided, and won't make the continent a safer place.

Nicolas Sarkozy also warned Russian President Dmitry Medvedev against upping tensions by deploying missiles on the borders of the European Union in response to the U.S. planned missile defense system.

Sarkozy's comments, at a summit with Medvedev, were the strongest to date by an American ally against the missile-defense plans — and undercut the rationale behind U.S. President George W. Bush's European security strategy.

The plans for using sites in Poland and the Czech Republic have infuriated Russia despite the Bush administration's insistence that they are aimed at protecting Europe from Iran.

"Deployment of a missile defense system would bring nothing to security ... it would complicate things, and would make them move backward," Sarkozy said at a news conference with Medvedev. Medvedev smiled and pointed his finger at Sarkozy in approval.

The remarks came at the end of a week in which the United States and Russia rejected each other's proposed solutions to the standoff over the missile plans, making it increasingly likely that it will not be resolved before U.S. President-elect Barack Obama takes office.

Obama has not been explicit about his intentions on European missile defense, saying it would be prudent to "explore the possibility" but expressing some skepticism about the technical capability of U.S. missile defenses.

Moscow sees the defense plans as a Cold War-style project that could eliminate Russia's nuclear deterrent or spy on its military installations. Much of Western Europe is nervous about the idea of such major defensive weaponry stationed around the continent.

But Poland and the Czech Republic, where bad memories of Soviet domination run deep, hope Obama follows through on the plans.

Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra said in a statement he "was surprised" about Sarkozy's remarks, made at an EU-Russia summit.

"France never consulted with us such a standpoint," he said. "As far as I know a stance on the missile defense was not part of the French presidency mandate for the EU-Russia summit." France currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

Sarkozy said he was worried about Russia's threat to deploy short-range Iskander missiles near Poland in response to the U.S. move.

"We could continue between Europe and Russia to threaten each other with shields, with missiles, with navies," he said. "It would do Russia no good, Georgia no good and Europe no good."

Sarkozy said he would discuss the missile issue with NATO counterparts at a summit early next year and proposed a pan-European security conference after that, to include Russia. Medvedev welcomed the idea.

I had some brief correspondence with Mr.MacFaul, Obama's advisor on Russian affairs. Imagine that: he wrote to me that he wasn't aware that Tad Brzezinski was also an Obama's advisor!!Unfortunately, from the beginning Mr.Obama has chosen the worst possible advisors: Mr.MacFaul and Mr.Brzezinski.
The latter is a well known Russia-hater, and the former used to advise on Russia to Dick Cheney. He is a Democratic version of a neocon.
I feel that Mr.Medvedev has from the start decided that the time of appeasement the West for Russia has passed. Russia has a right to act as an independent, proud country she is.

Steve

That article you posted omits that the majority of the Czech Republic's population oppose the idea of positioning the missile defense system on Czech territory.

If I'm not mistaken, a sizeable portion of Poland's population isn't so keen on having that system on Polish territory as well.

The kind of misguided "backward thinking," which some seem to exclusively attribute towards Russia is evident elsewhere.

I try to be optimistic about more reasonable views prevailing.

We have to reflect how Europe and the US weakened the Czar and installed Communism in the first place.
Communism is racial and it was not Russian. The local Marxist partisans in the eastern countries who massacred civilians during the war and post war satellite states were of the same ethnic heritage that got us into the Iraq war.
There own statements in the own publications mention what communism was and who's benefit it serves.

How they have planned to break up Russia since the collapse of the USSR with George Soros lead economic policy plan specifically designed to destroy the Russian economy 9 (economic genocide that left 4 million dead) and at the same time training Chechen militants since 92 and international terrorism in Russia to capture the Caspian oil reserves training them in chemical and biological weapons.

The "opposition" in Russian is financed by CIA fronts like USAID and NED and Rothschild/Soros front organisations like HRW, Transparency International, etc.

Are we not forgetting the resent Georgia conflict?

NATO, the US and Israel aided by some EU countries helped Georgia slaughter the South Ossetian people and firing on Russian peacekeepers against international law.

Yet the Georgian leader gets a warm embrace from the US and EU and rewarded with increase of weapons sales.

Ukraine sold illegal arms to Georgia prior to the conflict yet this is not an issue.

If we had a free, independent and unbiased media these would be huge scandals for the two countries as well as the western countries that whole heartedly backed Georgia.

Zbignew Brezinski has a written plan to destroy Russia.
Stationing missiles in Kalingrad at missiles aimed Russia send to just a message to Poland but Brezinski himself that if you try to destroy and wipe out Russia we will respond.

I hope this recent Georgia conflict, NATO expansion and inevitable invasion and the missiles pointed at it will make Russian’s finally realise that Europeans and Americans hate them, they have always hated them and should seek and see itself as an Asiatic country and seek cooperation and alliances with Asian states.

The so-called "missile defense system" is probably useful, but Russia is right to feel threatened by it.

I'm hoping that President Obama can set a new course in our relations with Russia. If not outright hostility, Presidents since Reagan have displayed an arrogant, malign disregard for Russia.