Reaching Out to Russia

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Tuesday he hopes that the alliance members will decide to build a NATO-based missile defense system and also invite Russia to participate. “It makes sense from a military point of view because through cooperation, we can make the whole system more efficient,” he told defense reporters during a meeting in Washington. From a political view, it would also make sense because it “would be obvious” that the missile defense system “is not directed at Russia,” he said. Such a system would be a “game changer” that could benefit everyone from “Russia to Vancouver,” he noted.