Anti-ballistic missiles, nuclear weapons, national security, the United States, Russia – these are the key challenges to any foreign policy. And as George Bush prepares to vacate the White House, whether his missile policies go too, remains to

In 2001, the Bush Administration decided to withdraw from the 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty. George W. Bush said at the time, “I have concluded the ABM Treaty hinders our government’s ability to develop ways to protect our people from future terrorists. We must have the freedom and the flexibility to develop effective defences against those attacks.” The Bush administration’s withdrawal came with a hefty price tag. Since 2001 the U.S. has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on ABMs.

Some U.S. politicians, like outspoken Democrat congressman Dennis Kucinich, believe all these efforts to develop and install more missiles are actually pointing the U.S. goes in the wrong direction. “We have to get the missiles out of Poland. We have to stop that kind of politics. We have to deal directly with people,” Kucinich says. Luckily there is a new sheriff in town.

Back in September of 2008, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama seemed committed to a less confrontational approach when asked how he would deal with ABMs and the issue of nuclear weapons in general.

“As president, I will seek real, verifiable reductions in all U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons – whether they are strategic or non-strategic. As president, I will make sure any missile defence system, including the one proposed for Europe, has been proven to work and has our allies’ support before we deploy it,” Obama said.

Executive Director of the Arms Control Association Daryl Kimball is also optimistic. “This is not an issue that the Obama Administration is going to be pressing hard on, like the Bush Administration did. If Russia sits back for some time, I think there’s an opportunity for the two governments to reach an understanding,” Kimball says.

Time, it would seem, it is of the essence. “This is not yet a done deal with the Poles and the Czechs. We’ve signed some agreements but there’s still work to be done. The ground has not been broken yet,” says Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation.

Whether Barack Obama will be continue the Bush administration’s policy concerning anti-ballistic missiles or not is as yet unknown. It will only become clear once Barack Obama is in the White House.