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Earlier this morning, Russia announced it has scrapped plans to deploy missiles near Poland.
Russia had intended to deploy Iskander missiles near the border, in the Kaliningrad region, as a direct response to former President George W. Bush's planned deployment of an experimental intercontinental ballistic missile defense system in Poland.
President Obama has canceled the planned system. Instead, Obama will proceed with a smaller, less expensive system that uses existing, proven technology to fight regional ballistic missile threats, and has the benefit of being mobile.
Clearly, cooler heads have prevailed. Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin described President Obama's reversal of U.S. policy as "victory of reason over ambitions."
This comes on the heels of news that a new U.S. intelligence assessment puts Iran three to five years further away from being able to build a nuclear-capable long-range missile than previously thought. Iran's missile plans had underpinned President Bush's reasoning that an intercontinental ballistics defensive system was needed, despite generating heightened tensions with Russia, and despite the costliness and unproven nature of the system.
With a new diplomatic feather in his cap, President Obama will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the United Nations and the Group of 20 economic summit next week.
Republicans have spent the last few days deriding President Obama's decision to scrap the experimental system as a betrayal of Poland, and appeasement. Arizona Senator and former Presidential candidate John McCain strongly condemned the move as "seriously misguided," despite being personally familiar with and supportive of components of the system President Obama will deploy.
How Republicans will respond to evidence that diplomacy actually works remains to be seen.