Maine Owl

Poland and Czech Republic uniting and growing balls, if slowly, after Iraq bamboozle

Poland and Czech Republic Team Up in Missile Defense Talks With U.S.
By JUDY DEMPSEY - New York Times - Published: Jan. 11, 2008

BERLIN — The governments of Poland and the Czech Republic agreed Thursday to coordinate their negotiations with the United States over its request to place elements of an antiballistic missile shield in those countries.

The change of strategy was aimed at giving the two countries more bargaining power in talks next week in Washington and at easing tensions with Russia, Polish officials said.

There seems to be resentment and skepticism building in the two countries about the Bush Administration pressure to move obviously useless yet highly provocative missiles into their territories.

Down in the article, the source of the bitterness seems apparent:

But Poland sent thousands of soldiers to Iraq and hundreds more to Afghanistan, expecting in return some reward in the form of contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq, or funds to upgrade its armed forces. But the United States provided little in the way of financial assistance and expected Poland to foot the heavy bill for sending its troops to Iraq, Polish Defense Ministry officials in previous administrations have complained.

So the prolonged Polish deployment in Iraq, not yet wound down despite huge public disapproval, has not brought the accelerated "economic activities, investment activities in Poland" then Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski figured would come when he met President Bush in the White House during the pre-war run-up.