NATO Interested in Missile Defense Cooperation with Ukraine

NATO is ready to interact with third countries, including Ukraine, on an individual basis to raise anti-ballistic missile defense efficiency, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Dirk Brengelmann said on Sunday.

In an interview with Ukraine’s Mirror of the Week weekly ahead of his visit to the ex-Soviet republic, Brengelmann said Ukraine belonged to the group of countries that had quite a clear interest in the future development of NATO’s anti-ballistic missile defense.

NATO and Ukraine discussed this issue during working consultations in March 2011 when the sides exchanged their views on the spheres of possible cooperation, he said.

In March 2012, Head of the NATO Liaison Office in Ukraine Marcin Koziel said NATO was urging Kiev to formulate its position on the deployment of anti-ballistic missile defense system in Europe.

Russia has retained staunch opposition to the planned deployment of U.S. missile defense systems near its borders, claiming they would be a security threat. NATO and the United States insist that the shield would defend NATO members against missiles from North Korea and Iran and would not be directed at Russia.

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North Korea

Still feel the pain of axe murder by the North Koreans on a U.S. Soldier in 1968 over cutting down a tree as the stump still stands in the JSA of the DMZ. Still feel the deep remorse of all those thousands and thousands  missing POWs that didn’t get to come across the now deserted bridge of Freedom not more then 20 yards away from the stump. It is human tragedy of such piety that the contrasts of two sides of the same origin in a civil war, that can strike the match of a world war so quickly  today or tomorrow are in what looks to be a nature reserve with peace and tranquility in its outward  appearance yet within this lush green terrain of the DMZ  over 5 million mines hidden  just on this side of the line,and  the swath of a double fenced electric security fence breaking the green in obtuse places goes unnoticed. It is not a mystery, it is real as it gets as coming into a country where all highways are blocked and brand new rail lines stopped to where the reality of the 21st century is so far fetched that only the lush rice paddies and white cranes and Chinese ducks in them keep sanity, you can really only see to believe. It is North Korea and it is a military society living to be provoked and stuck in a game far too big to be strategic and just right to play as the class bully with big China as your go to when the big boys come to call you out.

Such a brutal game of provocation to gain face, at the cost of lives, unilateral destruction to the innocent on a small enough scale not to bring retaliation to silence  these temper tantrum scrimmages. Small minds play alike and if you stay small you stay in the game playing by the same rules. The temptation so strong to break these rules, call the bluffs and let it unfold but the Asia way will proceed as it has for 5,000 years, it is not the rabbit that wins it is the tortoise that does and patience of never having to fight by threats perceived to be real is the ultimate victory for this culture.