We’re talking missiles here, in a spat that’s reminiscent of Cold War tension.
What’s happening?
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to point missiles at Europe if the United States moved forward with plans to build a missile defense shield near Russia. [By defense shield, we’re talking futuristic Star Trek-type technology to shoot down missiles. By the way, no one knows if this will actually work.] Two days later, tensions rose when President Bush suggested that democratic reforms in Russia had been “derailed.”
Then, they all made nice at the G-8 Summit
Putin offered to build a shared shield system in Azerbaijan (one of the former Soviet Republics addressed in the WeeklyDIVA, “Lessons from Borat.”). Bush called the plan “interesting” and did not outright reject the idea. Putin seemed to back down from his plan to point missiles at Europe.
Also on the agenda at this year’s meeting of the world’s richest countries: global warming and AIDS. The U.S. says it will consider a European plan to reduce greenhouse gases by 50% by 2050. And lastly, the group pledged $60 billion to fight AIDS and other diseases in Africa.
By the way, what is the G8?
Since 1975 the world’s economic powerhouses have met yearly to address world economics and issues. For many years it comprised seven countries, until Russia joined in 1998. The Group of Eight (G8) is made up of the United States, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Japan and Russia. Each year a different leader acts as president of the group, and his or her country hosts the annual get-together. German Chancellor Andrea Merkel—the only woman among them—led the crew this year.
The big picture
Averting a Cold War-like missile standoff could help ease tensions between the United States and Russia, but already experts say the proposal will likely fall short of what the United States wants from a defense system. The global warming piece is a big deal because it is a step toward replacing the Kyoto Protocol, the last major global climate change initiative set to expire in 2012, which the United States never agreed to abide by anyway.
