New York Times on the Web Forums Science

Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

sebastian270 - 05:04am May 9, 2001 EST (#3593 of 3596)

I'm from Germany and in my opinion US government should stop these Missile Defense plans. That would be like going back to the cold war. Which nation would be so stupid to attack the USA with missiles ? North Corea ? Irak ? Iran ? I don't think so. That would be the end of that country. Bush and Cheney have paranoia ! And to me building up this defense system just be because of one terrorist (Bin Laden) is highly ridiculous. Such systems are just not necessary, but now they give Russia a reason to undermine the relationship with the USA.

lucky085a - 06:55am May 9, 2001 EST (#3594 of 3596)

Bush is an idiot, plain and simple. He's letting the ultraconservative cold war hawks from the 60's run his adminstration - he hasn't a clue about what he's doing or what to do.

rshowalter - 07:52am May 9, 2001 EST (#3595 of 3596)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

If enough things are up for grabs - "not knowing what to do" is an appropriate condition -- if he and his administration are taking reasonable steps to find out.

And there are plenty of reasons for leaders of other countries to also decide that they "don't know what to do" -- long enough to get clearer on how to clean up some messes.

China, for instance, is a mass of contradictions -- I don't think you CAN come up with any single view of Chinese actions, pretensions, and conditions that doesn't look ugly in all sorts of ways ---- and very sensible in many other ways. If they worked at it, the Chinese leadership, and people, could work out accomodations better than the ones they have.

Russia's a mess in many ways -- Russians know it, and they are slowly, haltingly, with many missteps - casting about for ways to set things right.

Plenty of different ways to go might be workable -- and some that seem "horrible" to many might work out fine.

For example -- supposed that the US, led by this administration, decided to withdraw from the United Nations (I don't advocate this - but point it out). Is it sure that the results would be bad? Given the administration, and the needs of the world -- it might work very well -- though it would be a sad thing for New York City. If the UN has title to its buildings, and they sold them -- they could finance a move of the whole UN, lock stock, and barrel, to some other place -- maybe St. Petersburg, or an area of China close to Hong Kong.

There are many ways to work things out so the world survives and so that people kill each other less often, and cooperate more often.

vmmlund2 - 07:56am May 9, 2001 EST (#3596 of 3596)

You won't understand missle defense if you don't examine who has been getting the money for it and who will get more. It's your money. Do you want to spend it? Do you really think it will be worth it?

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense