Sending a message to 'rogue states'

Although negotiations are incomplete, it seems Poland will accept US missiles on its territory. The US has been badgering Poland about for some time, as it is thought to be an effective defence or deterrent to "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Russia is strongly opposed to the idea and forewarned when the concept was first mooted that as the missiles could also strike at the heart of Russia, it would retaliate by setting up its own missiles, but aimed at the West (destination as yet unspecified).

To the layperson, it looks like a return to the Cold War days when nations on both sides of the Iron Curtain feared how far the escalation of arms build-up and tensions would go.

But now, the purpose of the US missiles in Poland is obvious: it is to threaten those countries which the Bush administration despises.