Map of the Day: Soviet Invasion Plans of the U.S.

Evidently Obama and Medvedev have "reset" U.S.-Russia relations. In fact, the White House actually re-Tweeted the Kremlin account yesterday and the two ran off for a midday Hellburger. But it's worth checking out this fascinating Cold War map that illustrates the history between the two nations.

It's from an old Yugoslav atlas via the gold-standard cartography blog Strange Maps. Soviet subs have the United States surrounded, and ICBM missiles are within striking distance of New York, Washington, and Los Angeles. Cuban and Nicaraguan forces appear to be on alert.

Strange Maps author Frank Jacobs wisely notes that the map seems to reflect the "Communist ideological orthodoxy of the U.S. as an aggressive, unstable monstrosity at near-collapse -- a remarkable example of the pot calling the kettle black."

Obama and Medvedev may be Twitter and burger buddies, but it's hard to escape this tense history.