Rarely missing an opportunity to remind us that Russian nationalism is alive and well, and that the Russian government is about as suspicious of the United States as it was back in the day of the Soviet Union, its time to start paying attention to that nation’s continued resistance to improving world security. With an increasing nuclear threat from North Korea, Iran and other places in the Middle East, it is both natural, prudent, and praise worthy that our government explore all avenues that would strengthen our ability to defend against attack from those or any other locations to the east. That the Russians object because such moves would dampen their own nuclear deterrence capacity is, in the words of Condi Rice, “ludicrous”. And with the Russians in possession of thousands of warheads, she is certainly correct. But that doesn’t mean this is not a significant development. The Russians are either upset because they still see Eastern Europe as “theirs” i.e. part of some longed for greater Russian Empire, or because they see themselves developing alliances with the North Koreans, the Iranians, or other that would make them impervious to such attacks. Either way, that doesn’t bode well for global security. Of course, it may just be that the Russians are raising this issue as a bargaining tactic in their ongoing resistance to granting Kosovo internationally supervised independence from Serbia. But that too is because of ancient ethnic ties that bind Serbs and Russians while thinking little about the rights of the Albanian majority that lives in Kosovo or of the democratic system under which they would like to live. Mr. Putin needs to start thinking about which Russia he longs to lead, one that hearkens back to imperial czars or one that plays a constructive role in helping to secure global security and safety.