AP Photo

The stated goal of the US's missile shield programme, which was devised during the Bush administration, was to defend the US against any missiles launched from Iran. However, the Russian government, especially the prime minister, Vladimir Putin, opposed it, for several reasons. It saw the programme as a challenge to Russia's own long-range missiles, important components of Russia's strategy of reasserting itself into the global arena as a superpower. Furthermore, plans to base the missiles in Czech Republic and Poland, countries which once were under Russian control, were also considered as provocative and even insulting to Moscow.

Russia's leadership was so infuriated that it even went as far as threatening military action to dissuade the US and the host countries from...