The nexus of politics and the military has always been strong- whether a country bases its rule and influence on overwhelming or strategic military power, it is a factor that speaks to all aspects of both local and extended rule.

The most recent large-scale military stand-off to define the edges of politics was the cold war. Though considered over more than 20 years ago, the ripples of the animosity and weapons race still defines political interactions across the Atlantic Ocean. Russia and Europe are still growing out of the Western-Eastern European split economically and culturally, and countries around the world still self-identify, to a certain extent, on one side of the stand-off or other. Just the other day Venezuela’s Chavez raised more than a few American eyebrows by enlisting Russian backing and partnership.

Former President George W. Bush had plans to set up a missile shield across the Eastern European front. Obama recently announced that he would nix those plans in favor of creating a faster defense system to protect states allied with the U.S. from possible Iranian threats. The change in defense policy is based on intelligence saying that Iran is focusing on creating short and medium range missiles rather than long-range.

The move is big in relations with cold war opponent Russia, who had viewed the shield as a threat to their security and and their own missile defenses. Conversely, Poland and other Baltic states had viewed the shied as a commitment of U.S. military power to their extended security from Russia, now decades past their Soviet-era rule.

Obama’s decision and the U.S. strategy shift is expected to make relations with Russia more friendly, but it also has the potential to raise concerns in the region over general security. This seems strange, as the shift is not from having a missile shield to not having one, but from having long-range missiles involved to having short and medium range missiles- in some senses, it could be more protective against the actual perceived threats.

"The best way to responsibly advance our security and the security of our allies is to deploy a missile defense system that best responds to the threats that we face and that utilizes technology that is both proven and cost effective," Obama said.

The political conundrum is that even as the U.S. has good relations with the new Russian state, the region still lives under the Soviet shadow just a few decades removed in politics and still very much present in the Eastern European public consciousness. Apparently Obama only let Czech and Polish officials know a few hours before his announcement- not a good international foreign relations move, Mr. President.

On the positive side, this move is expected to make attempts to get Russia to support U.S. forces in Afghanistan and policy in Iran and other nuclear matters.  Republicans like John McCain disapprove of the move, and big arms contractors are out some serious work.

And there is, again, the embedded nexus between politics, the military and money- defense contractors are necessary for national security, but in the end they are not part of the government, they are businesses. Changing strategy for political purposes in regard to international relations is one thing- changing those plans and thereby changing the needs of the military in regard to product- well, that’s a whole other story.