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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

rshow55 - 03:30pm Nov 5, 2002 EST (# 5484 of 5488)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

North Korea Says Nuclear Program Can Be Negotiated
by PHILIP SHENON http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/03/international/asia/03KORE.html

and

North Korea Warns of New Tests Unless Japan Ties Improve
By HOWARD W. FRENCH http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/05/international/05CND-KORE.html

are only inconsistent for people who have a too-simple and impractical view of how human beings act.

North Korea is working to establish contact - within its contradictions, subject to the situation it is in - and with the ambivalences to be expected - and while doing so is insisting on relationships that are fully human. Solutions that make emotional as well as economic and military sense. Those are the only solutions that can actually work decently and efficiently.

We know a good deal in general terms about how the current situation might be improved.

Engaging North Korea By JIMMY CARTER http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/27/opinion/27CART.html

"What is needed on the Korean peninsula is an end to more than a half-century of "armistice" and the consummation of a comprehensive and permanent peace agreement."

To get there, from where we now are - the human problems that are there have to be identified, faced, understood, and solved. Solutions have to fit the needs, practical and emotional, of the people and organizations actually involved.

The chance for good resolution of the Iraq situation looks much better than it did eight weeks ago - and if it becomes a bloody mess - from where we now are -- that will be a real failure.

Could the world make as much progress toward safety and comfort in the Korean peninsula, in that period of time?

It looks possible to me.

manjumicha - 04:00pm Nov 5, 2002 EST (# 5485 of 5488)

Robert

US and NK had already reached an implicit understanding when Albright and Kim signed the memorandum of understanding in 2000 which instituted the moratorium on NK ICBM tests in exchange for promised "normalization" of the relationship, including US support in getting Nk back into the world financial system. Bush and his advisors simply tossed it away when they came into power......whether that was a right thing to do or not, only history will tell us.

Rummy and Wolf, prodded by jewish hard right leaders and their mouthpieces, have always hated the Perry plan and, while in service of a president who harbors deeply held personal distaste of NK regime, simply changed the course of US policy re: NK from accomodation to strangulation.

I am just surprised that NK reaction didn't coem sooner...maybe they were hoping for Japan breaking away from US hawks' misguided policy, which in fact is what's happening now despite the public facade of SK, Japanese and US governments.

manjumicha - 04:04pm Nov 5, 2002 EST (# 5486 of 5488)

And I understand that the current drivers on NK are NOT rummy, wolf and their colorful outside advisors....they lost their voice in NK policy formulation due to pretty strong voices from SK policy makers who express pretty strong displeasures with Bush's usual hawks nowadays.

bike-novo1 - 04:21pm Nov 5, 2002 EST (# 5487 of 5488)
" Roll over Beethoven, I gotta hear it again today_._._.................

Lunar, hi ---

Recall me ?

I'm Danish - was on the tennis forum some two years ago! We wrote in private. But just of a sudden I lost all from my ppc, oops - you have a son in Belgium, livin' up north some hundred miles from Sidney & you predicted the status of Lleyton today, LOL --

I 'found you by askin' Sgrobin, a nice cat on the tennis firmament!

& 100 I really enjoyed The Olympics. We all in family dancin' till early morning at the closing ceremony to your singing & playing -- whatever take care - & and your private name I keep to myself!

--birk--

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