|
Page 2 of 5 Why Do They Argue They Need It?
The United states argues that the need for a missile defence system
stems from their need for protection from "rogue states" - countries
like North Korea, Iraq, Iran and Syria. They argue that these countries
may one day have the capability to fire nuclear-tipped
inter-continental ballistic missiles at the United States and as such
they need a shield to protect themselves.
Behind the Spin
That's the public face of missile defence. However, the truth is,
missile defence has less to do with defence and more to do with
control. And its consequences are frightening. An arms race, war in and
from space, "Full spectrum dominance" and the likelihood of making the
UK a bigger target to enemy states are all very real threats posed by
the system.
Provoking an arms race
In the eyes of many countries, one big powerful state, with the world's
biggest military machine and a shield to protect from limited attack,
is not such an attractive proposition.
After all, if that country wanted to attack another state with
inter-continental ballistic missiles, it could do so without the target
state being able to launch a successful retaliatory response - a
missile defence shield would defend against any limited response that
could be made from missiles not destroyed in the first strike.
In other words, the country with the shield would have "first strike
ability". Lt. Col. Robert Bowman, U.S. Air Force director, called
missile defence: "...the missing link to a First Strike."
Put another way, in the words of the New American Century - a powerful
right wing lobby group of which Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Jeb
Bush are members, "The United States must ... develop and deploy global
missile defenses to defend the American homeland and American allies,
and to provide a secure basis for U.S. power projection around the
world."
Whether this first strike threat is real or just perceived, the
response of states such as China, is to threaten to increase their
arsenals of nuclear warheads. A missile defence system would be too
limited to defend against a vast number of incoming missiles. China has
therefore threatened to increase its number of nuclear warheads in
order to be able to pierce the shield and redress the military
imbalance.
China's neighbours, India, have threatened to respond to such an
increase with an increase in their own arsenals, and Pakistan would
then follow suit.
So, by appearing to give the USA the final piece in the jigsaw of
military power and by supporting the idea of aggresive military
escalation, missile defence threatens to provoke nuclear proliferation
the world over.
"Full Spectrum Dominance"
This phrase was dreamt up by the US military and means the complete
military dominance of land, sea, air, space and information and it is a
stated key military aim of the USA. The USA considers the first strike
ability created by a missile defence system to be a key element to
their achievement of Full Spectrum Dominance. There is another angle
too - space.
|
Campaigns 
