By stopping his missile shield program near the Russian border, President Barack Obama has thus taken another step away from the policy of his predecessor George Bush and other presidents who were dominated by the complex of the Cold War. We recall in this regard Ronald Reagan and the Star Wars that later became an electronic game for children and teenagers. There is no doubt that the deployment of missile shields in Poland and the Czech Republic was aimed at confronting Russia. Only idiots were convinced by the declarations of the Bush administration that these missile shields were aimed at warding off Iranian missiles. The Poles and the Czechs made no secret of welcoming these missile shields when they voiced their approval of the program to confront the Russian threat. The threat coming from Tehran was to them a ridiculous joke, similar to the grim jokes in the communist era. Today, they regret the termination of the costly program (USD 100 billion so far), because its termination, as they said, would place them in an unequal military confrontation with Moscow, irrespective of the political confrontation with it if Washington continues the program. But this is not the case of Germany, which emerged from the Cold War and restored its unity without looking forward to take revenge from the Red Army and the Soviet era. Berlin welcomed Obama's step and is working to manipulate it politically, both at the European and international levels, believing, rightly, that this step will facilitate the spreading of the European political culture that is more moderate than the American policy, and that it will make pressuring Iran easier, now that Russia is reassured about its border. The repercussions of the overthrow against the policy of Bush and the previous administrations will be restricted to Europe and will not extend to the countries associated with the American Metropolis, unless it is followed by a similar policy in the Middle East, one that is unlikely at this time. However, taking this step facilitates dealing with Iran, and strips it of the most important card in its revolutionary policy – i.e. the card of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The American shift from being an attorney for the Hebrew state in the international forums – particularly in the Security Council – an attorney that defends Israeli militarily, to an impartial mediator between both sides, requires from Obama – if we assume that he wants this transition – a domestic confrontation which he is unwilling to lead. The Congress, with its Republican and Democratic majority, will stand against him if he approaches the holy cow (Israel). Many will not hesitate to accuse him of returning to his Islamic origins. The American policy and its adoption of Israel led its subsequent governments to ridicule the UN resolutions and consider them not worth the ink with which they were written, relying on Washington's support and its generous rewards from the money of the American taxpayers. The White House's rare attempts to discourage Tel Aviv's persistence in defying international legitimacy were mere threats which would soon turn to the opposite. Relying on this approach, we have seen Benjamin Netanyahu, in his first tenure, challenging the White House by moving the battle with him to the heart of Washington. And today, in his second tenure, he is challenging Obama by refusing to freeze settlement activities, even for an interim period, to launch negotiations with the Palestinians. He even threatened to boycott his address before the UN General Assembly if Obama insists on his demand. However, the White House did not take any measure, no matter how simple, such as postponing the joint maneuvers which are scheduled to take place soon between both armies. Obama will stand before the UN General Assembly manifesting some change in the US dealing with the international organization. He will be armed with his decision to cancel the missile shield program in Europe, and with the smile of his ambassador Susan Rice instead of John Bolton's mustache, contenting himself with a great victory in the Middle East: Netanyahu agreed to convene a meeting with him and with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as attacking Iran and lauding some Arabs.
