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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?

rshowalter - 01:10pm Jun 29, 2001 EST (#6287 of 6290)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

June 28: Corrosive Corruption: Companies that participate in corrupted dealings do themselves no favors. http://www.exxonmobil.com/news/opeds/ ......

" Corruption can take many forms, and the effects can accumulate. Where government officials seek special favors or bribes, the costs can discourage honest companies and deter needed investments. Scarce public resources are squandered on noessential, shoddily built, or too-costly projects, while needed investments go begging. Corrupt officials may thwart the growth of more honest and democratic institutions. Public cynicism, contempt, and dissillusionment can become widespread.

" Companies that participate in corrupted dealings also do themselves no favors. Although a business deal here or there may be obtained, the sost includes creating a culture of dishonesty within the company. If cheating or bribery or fixing the books are tolerated for certain purposes, the company can never again be sure that these dealings are not tolerated for others. The whole organization can come to believe that dishonesty is an accepted approach. That's one reason why ExxonMobil maintains strong and clear policies to guard against such dishonesty.

" The United States has long been in the forefront of a laudable effort to reduce corruption, and its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has contributed positively to discouraging distortion and bribery around the world. In 1999, the OECD Convention on Combatting Bribery of Foreign Public Officials went into effect. Almost all of the OECD countries have now ratified the convention and enacted enabling legislation. This convention holds great promise of reducing corruption, as long as the signatory nations live up to their enforcement obligations.

" And some private-sector groups, such as the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, are helping to meet the OECD standards.

" The Organization of American States has also obtained ratification of an Inter-American Convention Against Corruption by most of its member countries. The US ratified the Convention on September 29 of last year.

" Also encouraging are steps by international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank to focus more on reducing corruption in the developing world. Innovative arrangements such as the revenue management plan for oil revenues established by the World Bank are path-breaking advances.

" Central to the anti-corruption drive has been the work of the nongovernmental organization Transparency International. Its advisory group of important business and government leaders has included Oliusegun Obasanjor, president of Nigeria, who has been at the forefront of efforts to reduce official corruption and private sector bribery.

" There is good reason to be optimistic about the growing efforts to combat the most widespread and damaging effects of corruption. But optimism must be tempered by realism and strengthened by determination, because reducing the impact of corruption will remain a long and difficult struggle. "

rshowalter - 01:13pm Jun 29, 2001 EST (#6288 of 6290)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

"Companies that participate in corrupted dealings do themselves no favors."

Neither do governments - or companies and governments in interaction, that participate in corrupted dealings. And neither do politicians find themselves uncompromised, when they participate in these corrupt dealings.

I have some of these concerns, related to missile defense technology, and reporting, and funding. Based on what I can find out about the disparity between things claimed and things done over many years, that seems reasonable to me, and to other people I've talked to.

But something Dawn is at pains to point out in another area needs to be remembered. Death penalties generally are unattractive solutions to problems.

The problems that any American leader faces, answering the question:

What do I want the nation to do on security matters?

involve what has happened in the past, and what exists.

Things need to be reformed, reframed -- punishment may sometimes be workable -- but usually, in complicated circumstances, it isn't even thinkable.

But we have a mess, and it needs to be fixed. Some progress is being made.

And gisterme's questions of yesterday are key, and I'm still trying to deal with them -- which I'm finding hard, but think is worth it.

rshowalter - 01:26pm Jun 29, 2001 EST (#6289 of 6290)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

We should remember what nuclear weapons do, how they've been used, and what has been threatened.

And we should, I believe, be both practically and morally concerned about that.

But we should also remember a number -- both for good and ill. -- The US defense budget that now amounts to $1500/American citizen -- year after year.

Enough money to spend wisely -- to be careful about -- if only money was involved.

That number is also so large that present military arrangements impact hugely on the life of America. --The impact of those arrangements, that satisfy valid human needs in many ways, however terrible war is in other ways -- must be dealt with, in ways that work for the people involved -- because there is no alternative.

The US can only ask Russia to do things Russia can do -- but the same applies going the other way -- if the US is to deploy its national resources differently -- it will have to happen a step at a time -- it can't occur in disarray.

So the questions

" does the US continue to have a very large force?"
and

" does this force threaten Russia and other countries?"

have to be largely decoupled questions, for there the be any solution to the concerns almarst raises.

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