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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
ANTAGONIZING CHINA OVER NMD
(New 6/20/01.)
lobal peace and prosperity depends to a remarkable degree on robust exchanges between the world's richest nation and the world's most populous. Considering that fact, the leaders in Washinton D.C. and Beijing have been either tragically star-crossed or remarkably cavalier about provoking confrontation.
In 1996 Beijing fired a pair of ballistic missiles across the Taiwan Strait under the pretext of "military exercises", prompting the U.S. to send a carrier battle group in response. In 1999 the U.S. bombed the Chinese embassy in Kosovo and ascribed it to an intelligence error.
In mid 2000 the two nations seemed about to put the bad blood behind them when President Clinton struck a deal for U.S. approval of China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Then George Bush vowed to commit untold billions to building a space-based national missile defense (NMD) system to detect and destroy ballistic missiles that might threaten the U.S. A clear effort at upsetting the global balance of power, charged Beijing, vowing to commit whatever resources necessary to counter NMD. Its predictably harsh and intransigent stance toward a crippled U.S. spy plane forced to land on Hainan Island produced another standoff which, for several tense days, seemed capable of triggering a shooting war.
What American wouldn't want a shield from foreign ballistic missiles? But the NMD is hardly a sure thing. It's premised on technology that won't exist for a decade or more. It will end up costing well over $100 billion dollars. Meanwhile its mere existence on drawing boards sours relations with China, Russia and other nations. At present all it guarantees is another arms race. The only way it makes strategic sense is as a means to bankrupt a nascent geopolitical rival by forcing it into an arms race it can't afford. Look at what the nuclear arms race did to Russia.
Does the U.S. stand to gain or lose by using the NMD to threaten and alienate China?
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WHAT YOU SAY
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I wouldn't trust any other country with policing the world. US has extra responsibilities - it does deserve extra consideration.
If we can afford it, let's do it. US does have the high ground in the world.
xrossed id in NYC
Monday, April 08, 2002 at 18:35:56 (PDT)
Israeli paranoia is just that ..paranoia. Pakistan has had the bomb unofficially since 82 and for 18 years they have kept thier technology a closely gaurded secret. Israeli paranioa was based in the notion that Pakistan would turn around and sell thier technology to every Muslim country (read the Islamic bomb). Yet that theory has been completely disproven as Pakistan has secretly been solicited over 30 times and several of those attempt were made by under cover CIA and not once was any attempt successful. The fact is that in this day and age if you want nuclear hardware or technology it is much easier to get it from the former Soviet states such as Uzbekistan and the Ukraine. They may have shipped all of thier ICBMs back to mother Russia bu the technology hasn't gone anywhere
haha
Wednesday, March 06, 2002 at 22:22:51 (PST)
Haha, why is your name such a laugh? Nuclear holocaust is no laughing matter.
While you don’t take Pakistan’s Bombs seriously, the Jews are paranoid about Pakistan’s possession of the Bomb. See http://www.njjewishnews.com/issues/6_4_98/cj/cj.html
The Jews have a good reason to be paranoid; they are not exactly the most liked people in the world. In the end, it is not what you think that matters.
During the past decade, America has funded and wasted billions of dollars in trying to develop an anti-ballistic missile system with Israel in a boondoggle known as the Arrow project. See http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/ 1095/9510012.htm Like the failed Arrow project, NMD will probably just amount to billions of dollar handout for Israeli and American engineers with very little to show for it. Fact is, the Israelis couldn’t even put together its own domestic fighter called the Lavi, blowing $1.5 billion in American taxpayers money in the process. See http://www.washington-report.org/ backissues/0799/9907049.html
Then, the Israelis turn around and sell whatever Lavi technology to the commie Chinese in order to make a fast buck, but jeopardizing American national security in the process. NMD is about big money. It is sad that greed is going to jeopardize the lives of Asians and Americans civilians.
The Nuclear Clock Ticks On
Tuesday, March 05, 2002 at 15:45:34 (PST)
Pakistans nukes and missles are aimed at India not Isreal...I can see how you would confuse them since they both begin with the letter I. Pakistan has enough to worry about since they share a border with an enemy 8 times thier size. SO you can leave your idiotic
Muslim axis consipracy theory in the idiot suggestion box
haha
Monday, March 04, 2002 at 11:53:52 (PST)
The Nuclear Clock Ticks On.,
To protect isreal? The arab nations are on the brink of invoking their alliance to put more pressure on Israel this week.
At this rate, Isreal could be gone or the issues resolved before the NMD is even up and running.
AC Dropout
Monday, March 04, 2002 at 08:34:04 (PST)
I agree with the previous statement, the U.S.'s foreign policy is shaped by a foreign gov't (read Israel).
NMD is no good for Israel because there is nothing preventing some stupid Arab school kid from carrying a nuke into downtown Tel Aviv.
Nuclear submarines can launch nukes off the coast of North America. With multiple warhead ICBM's, will NMD be able to knockout 100's of separate warheads at once?
NMD will weaken the U.S., not strengthen it. It's unfortunate, since the U.S. is openly allowing a foreign nation to weaken it.
Hopefully, once Asian economic influence surpasses Jewish influence in congress, the U.S. can abandon the middleast and put America's focus on its most important concern (for economic and for national security issues), the Pacific rim.
For North America's sake, I hope the U.S. people realize that opposing 1/3 of humanity is more dangerous than abandoning a few million in the Middleeast, regardless of how much they contribute to election campaigns. HOpefully then, voters will vote for the candidate that puts America first, not Israel.
huu76
Sunday, March 03, 2002 at 23:07:01 (PST)
NMD is not intended to be used to threaten and alienate China. Instead, NMD is expected to benefit Israel, which was subjected to SCUD missile attacks from Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War. Needless to say, the Patriot anti-missile defense system had less than satisfactory results. Only America can afford to spend the hundred of billions to develop a better sysmtem. Presumably, once we have it, we will of course share it with the Israelis for free. Israel needs such a system more than ever now than North Korea has sold missiles to Pakistan and a number of Arab states. With nuclear-tipped missiles in the hands of Arabs, the continued existence of Israel will be called into question.
Of course, being pro-Israel, we Americans will try to build NMD, whatever the cost, whatever consequence it will have on Russia and China in escalating an arms race. Already, China is aiming at a ten-fold increase in its modest nuclear arsenal in the hope of negating the effect of NMD.
That is the consequence America will accept to protect Israel.
The Nuclear Clock Ticks On.
Sunday, March 03, 2002 at 12:48:14 (PST)
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