NATO Chief: Let's Combine US, Russian Missile Defenses

One day after the US decided to scrap a missile-defense system that Russia opposed, NATO wants to make relations with Moscow even cozier. Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen proposed combining Russia's anti-missile defenses with those of NATO and the US, Reuters reports. He pitched it as a shared interest: "If North Korea stays nuclear and if Iran becomes nuclear, some of their neighbors might feel compelled to follow their example," he said in Brussels.

"I would like Russia and NATO to agree to carry out a joint review of the new 2st-century security challenges, to serve as a firm basis for our future cooperation," Rasmussen said. "We should explore the potential for linking the US, NATO, and Russian missile defense systems at an appropriate time." (More NATO Secretary-General stories.)