Some time in relationships it is hard to let go.  One person in a relationship just doesn't want to move forward with the other and a break up usually occurs. Sometimes breaking up doesn't matter and the unhappy party tries everything they can to keep the other person in their life.  In America the person who wants to get out of a relationship and is threatened, black mailed or abused simply applies for a restraining order.  In the former Soviet Union, Russia is the partner that just can't let go and in the "New World Order"  there are no international restraining orders to be issued.

Below is a breakdown of the new countries that gained their independence after the fall of the former Soviet Union.  We will look at their relationship with Russia and the overall state of their country.

The Baltic States Former Possessions

Estonia  (Threat level is High)

Population:  1,307,605 (July 2008 est.)   Size:  Slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined   Independence:  20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries:  engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textiles; information technology, telecommunications Russian Relationship With Estonia  Russia and Estonia have not exactly bonded since the break up of the former Soviet Union.  In 2007 Russia launched an information/economic war against Estonia in order to destabilize the state. This included blocking oil shipments and hacking government websites to make them inoperable.  The Russian propaganda machine depicts Estonia as a fascist antagonist of Russia.

Estonia, a 2004 European Union entrant, has a modern market-based economy and one of the highest per capita income levels in Central Europe. The bitter relationship is with Estonia's rejection of Russian influence inside of the Estonian government and with the removal of a pro-Soviet era statue that Estonia no longer wanted on display as a reminder of the oppression of the former Soviet regime.Ostensibly reacting to the relocation of the Red Army monument (Bronze Soldier) from downtown Tallinn, the Kremlin is actually targeting Estonia’s state sovereignty, its internal political stability, and its links with the EU. This campaign can only make headway if the EU or at least some major member governments act as passive onlookers. Such seems almost to be the case at the moment, nearly two weeks into the crisis.

Moscow’s first goal is to dilute or negate Estonia’s sovereignty. Russian high-level authorities pressured Estonia to revoke the sovereign decision of its democratically elected parliament (to relocate the Bronze Soldier) and are now denouncing Estonia for noncompliance with that demand. They have also called openly for a change of government in Estonia. The Kremlin’s IT units have hacked the Estonian government’s computer systems -- an unprecedented act in international relations. Russian state television channels seek to inflame inter-ethnic relations in Estonia while lionizing local Russian rioters as “political” protesters. Kremlin-created rowdy organizations besieged

Latvia (Threat level is High)

Russian Relationship With Latvia  After restoration of its independence in 1991 following decades of Soviet rule, Latvia made rapid strides toward establishing a democratic political system and a dynamic, free market economy. It achieved two key foreign policy goals when it joined NATO and the European Union in 2004. However, relations with Russia remain strained over such issues as the country’s Russian-speaking minority and energy relations. Latvia and the United States have excellent relations. Latvia has deployed troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, and plays a significant role in efforts to encourage democracy and a pro-Western orientation among post-Soviet countries.  There economy is growing nicely.	Population: 2,245,423 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly larger than West Virginia   Independence: Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990   Main Industries:  Wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs. Latvia and Russia have had sometimes difficult relations. Russia has expressed irritation at NATO's role in patrolling the airspace of Latvia and the other two Baltic states, and the non-participation of Latvia and the other Baltic states in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, which Moscow claims could lead to the deployment of large NATO forces on its northwest border. In December 2007, Russia suspended its implementation of the CFE treaty.
The towers that once scrambled the signals of Radio Free Europe and Voice of America are gone. Bread, meat, and potatoes - some of the only things you'd find on shelves in Soviet times - now take their place next to fresh mangoes, jars of sun-dried tomatoes, and tubes of wasabi sauce. There have been four elections since 1991, and last year the country joined the European Union.  The Baltics have always been a thorny issue in relations between Russia and Western powers. They were the only satellites to be previously independent before they were folded into the Soviet Union, in 1940. Throughout the cold war the US maintained a position that the Baltics were occupied territories - a fact few here have forgotten. Latvia, a country roughly the size of West Virginia with a population of 2.3 million, has a particularly tense relationship with Russia. President Vaira Vike-Freiberga is Western-educated and Western-leaning.  Riga, the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the Baltics, was a favorite Soviet-era retirement destination for middle-class Russians who could not afford the high rents in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kiev. Far more Russians migrated to Latvia in Soviet times than to neighboring Estonia and Lithuania, and ethnic Russians still make up a third of the population.  On April 10, 1998 Russia cut oil exports through Latvia in a dispute over the discrimination of the ethnic Russians in Latvia. Given the ongoing discrimination against the 700,000 ethnic Russians living in Latvia.

Lithuania  (Threat level is Low )

Population:  3,565,205 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly larger than West Virginia   Independence:   Main Industries: Metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry Russian Relationship With Latvia   In September 1992, the defense ministers of both countries agreed on a timetable for the departure of Russian troops. Exactly one year later, Russia withdrew all its military formations left over from the former Soviet army from Lithuania. .

The Former Asian States Possessions

Kazakhstan (Threat level is Low.)

Russian Relationship With Kazakhstan  Kazakhstan remains tied to Russia through a number of channels left over from Soviet rule, but these ties have begun to loosen just as China is pushing more assertively for a closer rapport with Kazakhstan . Kazakhstan’s large reserves of oil and natural gas have attracted a massive influx of foreign investment from the West, particularly at the Tengiz and Kashagan oil fields on the Caspian Sea. These fields require the most advanced oil extraction technologies and have involved most of the oil super majors and a host of medium-sized investors. In tandem, a greater sense of independence from Russia has emerged among the Kazakhs as they see the advantage of diversifying their economic portfolio.   Population: 15,340,533 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly less than four times the size of Texas   Independence: 16 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has pursued a policy of national self-definition, making the Kazakh language official and encouraging ethnic Kazakhs elsewhere in Central Asia to relocate to Kazakhstan. These pro-Kazakh policies have exacerbated tensions with Russians living in Kazakhstan, who resent the Russian language ban and must compete for jobs with a wave of Kazakh immigrants; these pressures tend to drive the Russians back to Russia.   Kazakhstan and China formalized a plan to build a new cross-border natural gas pipeline and proceed with the second phase in the construction of a crude oil link between them.

Kyrgyzstan  (Threat level is Low.)

Russian Relationship With Kyrgyzstan  This is one of the rare cases in which a former possession of Russia is encouraging closer influence from Russia.  This poor country has reached out to Russia for more economic and  investment into it's infrastructure.  When the Russians left many intellectuals left the country as a result.  For its part, Russia sees aid to Kyrgyzstan as a successful precedent in its new policy of gaining influence in its "near abroad," the states that once were Soviet republics.   Population: 5,356,869 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly smaller than South Dakota   Independence: 31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries: Small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals

The long-term success of Kyrgyzstan's search for reintegration with Russia is questionable because of Kyrgyzstan's minimal strategic importance and the potential cost to an outside country supporting the republic's shaky economy.  It is likely that the country could become a burden to Russia financially.  Russia is not as interested due to the lack of resources.

Tajikistan (Threat level is Low.)

Russian Relationship With Tajikistan:  Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 7% of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop, but this sector is burdened with debt and an obsolete infrastructure.  India’s strategic ambitions in Tajikistan  are in flux after Russia reversed an earlier stance, and now opposes the deployment of Indian military jets to an air base in Tajikistan   Population: 7,211,884 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly smaller than Wisconsin   Independence: 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries: aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers

The protection of the Russian minority in strife-ridden Tajikistan is a stated foreign policy goal of the Russian government. Russia's concern was eased somewhat by the conclusion of a dual-citizenship agreement between the two countries in 1995. Russia also has justified its active involvement in the affairs of Tajikistan by citing the need to defend the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border--and thus, the CIS--from penetration by Islamic extremism and drug trafficking  The last Russian border guards protecting Tajikistan's 1,400 km border with Afghanistan completed their withdrawal in July 2005.  Tajikistan continues to permit basing of the Russian 201st Motorized Rifle Division that never left Tajikistan when it became independent.

Turkmenistan (Threat level is Low.)

Russian Relationship With Turkmenistan:   Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. Eastern Turkmenistan for centuries formed part of the Persian province of Khurasan; in medieval times Merv (today known as Mary) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.   Population: 5,179,571 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly larger than California   Independence: 27 October 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries:  natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded.  The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. President for Life Saparmurat Nyyazow died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Russia’s main goal  is to maintain its monopoly of transport of hydrocarbons from Central Asia to the world market, extracting as much economic rent as possible. Turkmenistan’s foreign policy discernibly tilted toward Russia in the days following the death of the country’s president on December 21, 2006. Russia sees the continuation and improvement of commercial and diplomatic relations with Turkmenistan as vital for a number of reasons. Russia has become dependent upon the re-sale of Turkmenistan gas that it transports to European markets. When Russian President Vladimir Putin used his New Year’s address to Turkmenistan to announce that Russia “is and will remain a dependable friend of Turkmenistan,” he was appealing to Turkmenistan’s new political leadership to continue to observe recent agreements for commercial relations, most notably the 25-year gas export agreement signed in 2003 that gave Russia the right to market the bulk of Turkmenistan’s gas exports

Uzbekistan (Threat level is Low.)

Russian Relationship With Uzbekistan:  Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism by Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization.   Population:  28,268,440 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly larger than California   Independence:  1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries: textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, gold, petroleum, natural gas, chemicals.  Exports cotton, gold, energy products, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, textiles, food products, machinery, automobiles The Uzbek regime's violent suppression of the uprising in Andijan in May 2005 was a turning point in the country's foreign policy. The government did not allow EU to investigate the case and then, after the U.S. administration's strong opposition to “non-observation of basic human rights”, Tashkent forced American airbase in Khanabad to shut down.  However, there have been some positive changes in fragile relations between Uzbekistan and the West recently. The consent to let the United States and NATO use airbase in Termez was an expected result of Tashkent's current foreign policy, aimed at rapprochement with the West.  For those striving to divine the intentions of the Uzbek government, all signs suggest that Russia's star, from Tashkent's perspective, is in retrograde. But local experts stress that Uzbekistan's recent efforts to downgrade relations with Russia are not necessarily a harbinger of a renewed alliance with the United States and European Union.   First signs that Uzbek-Russian relations were growing strained were visible in the spring, when Tashkent made a number of provocative steps against Moscow, from granting hydrocarbon contracts to Russian companies' rivals to shunning Russian officials and making decisions without consultations with the Kremlin.

The Former Caucus States Former Possessions

Armenia (Threat level is Low.)

Population: 2,968,586 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly smaller than Maryland   Independence:  21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries:  diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy Russian Relationship With Armenia:  Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century).  Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow.

Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian separatists' control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.   Armenia’s Feb. 19, 2008 presidential election pitted two pro-Russian candidates against each other. Armenia is crucial to Russian strategy in the Caucasus, and Russian political and economic influence there has been on the rise.  Armenia is a crucial piece of Moscow’s geopolitical puzzle in the region: It is a Russian “advance post” in the South Caucasus and the central cog of Iranian-Russian cooperation. Indeed, Russia’s influence is on the rise in Armenia, with both political and economic trends pointing to an ever-tighter alignment between the two

Azerbaijan (Threat level is Moderate.)

Population:  8,177,717 (July 2008 est.)   Size:  Slightly smaller than Maine   Independence:  30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries:  petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles Russian Relationship With Azerbaijan:  Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-Muslim population.  Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and must support some 600,000 internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the government has been accused of authoritarianism.

Although the poverty rate has been reduced in recent years, the promise of widespread wealth from development of Azerbaijan's energy sector remains largely unfulfilled.  Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance, while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new oil and gas pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its energy wealth.  RIA Novosti (Sept. 14) reports that GUAM members, including Azerbaijan, made controversial news when they put forward a suggestion to include a new issue concerning the lingering conflicts in the GUAM region and their impact on the international peace, safety and development on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly. The paper notes that “the Russian Federation has previously spoken against the inclusion of this item on the UN agenda.” The initiative is meant to assist in attracting international attention toward the efforts to settle the ‘frozen’ conflicts in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova. Azerbaijan’s distrust of Russia stems from the transfer of large quantities of Russian-made arms to Armenia during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Azerbaijani-Russian relations worsened in the mid-1990s when Azerbaijan rejected Russian-backed peacekeeping forces, alleging that Russia was biased in favor of Armenia. Russia has also repeatedly sought to dissuade Azerbaijan from participating, along with Georgia and Turkey, in a major U.S.-supported Caspian Sea petroleum pipeline project (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, or BTC), which bypasses Russia.

Georgia (Threat level is Extreme.)   SEE:  Russia Attacks Georgia

Russian Relationship With Georgia:  Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.Progress on market reforms and democratization has been made in the years since independence, but this progress has been complicated by two ethnic conflicts in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.   Population: 4,630,841 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly smaller than South Carolina   Independence:  9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries:  steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine These two territories remain outside the control of the central government and are ruled by de facto, unrecognized governments, supported by Russia. Russian-led peacekeeping operations continue in both regions.  Georgia's economy has sustained robust GDP growth of close to 10% in 2006 and 12% in 2007, based on strong inflows of foreign investment and robust government spending.  Georgia and Russian Relations are currently as of August 2008 at it's lowest point.  Russia attacked Georgia and has dismantled Georgia's ability to defend itself by destroying it's military installations.  Russia continues to occupy Georgian territory after Georgian military attacked South Ossetia a breakaway region that has extrmemely close ties to Russia. Read our  Russia -Georgia Conflict Report to gain a better understanding of the background and events that have led to the war.

The Former Eastern Europe States Possessions

Belarus (Threat level is Low.)

Population: 9,685,768 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly smaller than Kansas   Independence:  25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries:  metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators Russian Relationship With Belarus:  After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. They have chosen to remain under Russian influence and have shunned Western Democratic reforms.

Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Alexandr Lukashenko has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue.  Recent diplomatic and economic moves aimed at Belarus by the governments of the United States, the European Union, and Russia have strained relations between each of these entities and the former Soviet nation. Gallup Poll data from 2007 show that having a close relationship with Russia is more important to Belarusians than having a close relationship with the United States or the European Union.  Recent events have also led to a rapid decline in diplomatic ties between Belarus' authoritarian government, led by President Alexander Lukashenko, and the United States government. The United States and the European Union have imposed travel restrictions on President Lukashenko, and the U.S. recently introduced financial sanctions against the government-controlled oil industry in Belarus. The Belarus Foreign Ministry responded by expelling the U.S. ambassador and recalling its own ambassador from the United States.

Moldova (Threat level is Low.)

Population: 4,324,450 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly larger than Maryland   Independence:  27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries: Russian Relationship With Moldova:  Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import almost all of its energy supplies. Moldova's dependence on Russian energy was underscored at the end of 2005, when a Russian-owned electrical station in Moldova's separatist Transnistria region cut off power to Moldova and Russia's Gazprom cut off natural gas in disputes over pricing. Russia's decision to ban Moldovan wine and agricultural products, coupled with its decision to double the price Moldova paid for Russian natural gas, slowed GDP growth in 2006. However, in 2007 growth returned to the 6% level Moldova had achieved in 2000-05, boosted by Russia's partial removal of the bans, solid fixed capital investment, and strong domestic demand driven by remittances from abroad.  The majority of Moldova’s 3.4 million citizens are of Romanian descent, and the two countries share a common cultural heritage. The official language is Moldovan – which is virtually identical to Romanian. The city of Chisinau is Moldova’s capital. The Transdniestr region along Moldova’s border with Ukraine is mostly Slavic (30 per cent Russian; 30 per cent Ukrainian). Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Moldova’s Romanian majority looked west for closer links with Europe, but pro-Russian Transdniestr wanted to retain links with Russia and attempted to break away from Moldova.

Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 27 August 1991, and celebrates its national day on the anniversary of this date. However, in 2001, after a decade of ineffectual ‘reformist’ government, parliamentary elections gave 71 seats to the Communist Party, making Moldova the first former Soviet republic to return the Communist Party to power since the fall of the Soviet Union. In his first term as President Vladimir Voronin advocated closer ties with Russia. He called for Russian assistance in resolving the Transdniestr dispute, ruled out the possibility of Moldova joining NATO, and stated that Russian troops should remain in the Transdniestr until the Soviet-era stockpile of weapons could be removed from the region

Ukraine (Threat level is Very High)

Russian Relationship With Ukraine: After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics,  Orange Revolution began in 2004, bringing the pro-Western Viktor A. Yushchenko to power after widespread protests, Ukraine has been a thorn in Moscow’s side, though perhaps not as sharp as the outspoken Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili.   Population: 45,994,287 (July 2008 est.)   Size: Slightly smaller than Texas   Independence:24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)   Main Industries: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar).  Exporter of fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products As a result of the August 2008 Russia - Georgia conflict, Ukraine announced that it would restrict the movements of Russia’s Black Sea fleet into Sevastopol, on the Crimean peninsula. On Friday, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was prepared to give Western countries access to its missile-warning systems. The tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been getting worse for years. Mr. Yushchenko  has established a deeper relationship with the West, including membership in NATO, which Russia has said would threaten its security. In an attempt to apply pressure on the former Soviet Union state in early 2006, Russia cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine, in a bold maneuver to weaken Mr. Yushchenko’s government. NATO should affirm the potential of Georgia and Ukraine to become alliance members in the face of Russia's incursion into Georgia, senior U.S. officials said yesterday in Washington. “Russia may find it convenient to raise the level of tension with Ukraine in the run-up to the December NATO review,'' Citigroup Inc.'s London-based David Lubin and Ali Al- Eyd wrote in a note to clients. “If the conflict with Russia decelerates or reverses Georgia's integration with the West, a similar fate could also affect Ukraine.''  Ukraine, a country of 46 million people that's almost as big as France, has a large Russian-speaking population in the south and east that opposes NATO entry and looks to Moscow. Russian officials warn that if Yushchenko pushes Ukraine into NATO, the nation may split in two. Russia has made its displeasure with Ukraine clear, temporarily cutting off gas supplies to the country 2 1/2 years ago and reducing deliveries last March.

Russia's Threat To Former Soviet Union Links and Information

Russia Attacks Georgia    Russia has behaved very odd since the conflict started and with Poland officially signing the defensive missile shield agreement Russia has answered with more absurd threats

The New Russian Threat and U.S. Missile Shield   Many in the world believed that the cold war had ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall.  The U.S. Missile Shield and Russia's new posturing on the world stage is opening a new chapter in an old Cold War.