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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.

timmidgley - 05:33am May 15, 2002 EST (#2218 of 2232)

With regard the following posting:-

lchic - 03:22pm May 13, 2002 EST (#2191 of 2218)

"" between 1,700 and 2,000 warheads each

I would have thought a 1:4 ratio would look more proactively real, on Am's part than a mere 1:1 ... USA doesn't look to be trying - not at all!

end quote...

Respectfully, how many nukes do you need to destroy the world. A handful could easily wipe out the US. So why does anyone need 2,000 unless that is you may need to swamp a missile defence shield to make it ineffective.......?

I also note that Russia is not stopping its current testing of its nuke programme...?

lchic - 08:06am May 15, 2002 EST (#2219 of 2232)

Of course ONE NUKE (purposed~rogued~self-explode) is ONE too many.

Friedman notes that the text of a war situation is read variously by the various players.
^{http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/15/opinion/15FRIE.html}
Pity Friedman hasn't learned the definition of massacre - yet!

lchic - 08:11am May 15, 2002 EST (#2220 of 2232)

GU - Protectionism
^{http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,715852,00.html}

Nearly 80% of the money will go to the richest 10% of farms, mainly agro-industrial enterprises in the south and midwest.

Similarly, a bill signed by President Bush in March to protect US steel was largely aimed at winning support in the industrial centers of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, which could also go either way in 2004.

lchic - 08:23am May 15, 2002 EST (#2221 of 2232)

RU PU

His objective is to turn Russia into an internationally respected country on its own merits, primarily through deep internal restructuring and responsible international behavior. He wants Russians to respect themselves for their economic achievements and see their country genuinely admired internationally.

Like his friend British Prime Minister Tony Blair he may be carefully positioning Russia as a "pivotal force for good" in the 21st century.
^{http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/05/14/006.html}

Putin has been "surprising in his pragmatic willingness to supercede some of the iron taboos of Russia's post-Soviet foreign and security policy."

Putin's "audacious" actions have provided new impetus to Russian-NATO relations while "reinforcing the Western commitment to promoting Russia's economic development and political stability".
^{http://www.cdi.org/russia/205-2.cfm}

lchic - 08:28am May 15, 2002 EST (#2222 of 2232)

2002 (PDF)
^{http://www.thebulletin.org/issues/nukenotes/mj02nukenote.pdf}

lchic - 08:30am May 15, 2002 EST (#2223 of 2232)

Err Uhmmm did someone say America was a democracy?

Bill Maher, who believes his ABC show "Politically Incorrect" got canceled because he got in trouble with the White House patriotism police for his post-9/11 gibes, said dryly, alluding to the Florida election standoff: "It's the inaugural photo that is exploiting a tragedy."

^{http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/15/opinion/15DOWD.html}

lchic - 08:48am May 15, 2002 EST (#2224 of 2232)

Reach for the sky ^{http://pages.zdnet.com/sartre/RULES/id14.html}

lchic - 09:13am May 15, 2002 EST (#2225 of 2232)

CanonKurd - Suddam absurd
^{http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=295198}

... the price the Kurds demanded was a guarantee that America would promise to defend them from retaliation by the Iraqi armed forces. The CIA was unable to give the guarantee, says The Washington Post. The Kurds refused to allow the bases, but their consideration of such a move appears to have made President Saddam nervous.

lchic - 09:16am May 15, 2002 EST (#2226 of 2232)

Fisk on TRUTH
^{http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=294787}

rshow55 - 09:30am May 15, 2002 EST (#2227 of 2232)

http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=294787 ... bears careful, thoughtful reading.

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