Ten days before Russian tanks and infantry invaded the democratic and pro-Western Republic of Georgia, the federal government’s Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) terminated all Voice of America (VoA) radio broadcasts to Russia, The Washington Examiner has learned. This means that throughout the still unfolding international crisis, a key communications tool that helped win the Cold War for the United States has been mute.
That makes the point but I like Lech Walesa's remark:
VoA’s strategic importance cannot be overstated. The Heritage Foundation’s Lee Edwards, who spearheaded the drive to erect the Victims of Communism Memorial on Massachusetts Avenue, recalls that Polish Solidarity Movement leader Lech Walesa was asked at a conference in Washington about the impact VoA had on Soviet dissidents: “Would there be the Earth without the sun?” Walesa replied.
Curtsy: ninme, the bride who cares about foreign policy (all you bridezillas, take note).
The other links in her post are also interesting. I hadn't read this about Ukraine:
Ukraine said it was ready to give both Europe and America access to its missile warning systems after Russia earlier annulled a 1992 cooperation agreement involving two satellite tracking stations. Previously, the stations were part of Russia’s early-warning system for missiles coming from Europe.
“The fact that Ukraine is no longer a party to the 1992 agreement allows it to launch active cooperation with European countries to integrate its information,” a statement from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
It follows a declaration earlier this week from Ukraine’s pro-Western president, Viktor Yushchenko, that the Russian naval lease of the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sebastopol would be scrapped if any vessels joined the conflict in Georgia.
