IMPACTS: LOSS OF THE ABM TREATY TRIGGERS GLOBAL ARMS RACES

END OF ABM TREATY MEANS THE RETURN OF THE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE

Lincoln P. Bloomfield is MIT professor of political science, The Boston Globe January 22, 2000, SECTION: OP-ED; Pg. A15 HEADLINE:

NOT SO FAST ON MINI 'STAR WARS' SYSTEM // acs-ln-1-26-2000

Fourth, there is the issue that deployment of a limited missile defense system will undermine the hard-won ABM Treaty.

The ABM Treaty says, in effect, "if you don't try to shoot down my missiles, I won't have to build bigger offensive ICBMs, and we can get on with arms control."

The unwanted consequences of scrapping that equation could lead Moscow to abandon the START arms reduction agreements that the United States has been urging it to ratify, and instead upgrade its multi-warhead missile program in order to overcome our planned defense - the very threat to US security the ABM treaty was created to avoid.

BREAKING ABM TREATY WOULD TRIGGER NEW SORTS OF ARMS RACES, NOW INFORMATION BASED

Elizabeth Young And Wayland Kennet The Independent (London) November 21, 1999, SECTION: COMMENT; Pg. 28 HEADLINE: YOU THOUGHT THE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE WAS OVER? THINK AGAIN; AMERICAN PLANS TO ESTABLISH A 'SON OF STAR WARS' ANTI-MISSILE SYSTEM THREATEN TO UNDERMINE THE GLOBAL BALANCE OF DETERRENCE AND WEAPONS CONTROL. //acs-ln-12-22-99

For it could re-open the sluice gates that at present hold back not only the old-style arms race but also new ones. There has been a revolution in military affairs since the treaty was signed. Ever more sophisticated techniques for hacking into and disrupting hi-tech computer systems could lead to a devastating new style of "information warfare".

WALKING AWAY FROM THE ABM TREATY WILL START A NEW EAST-WEST ARMS RACE

David Buchan and Stephen Fidler: Financial Times (London) October 6, 1999, Pg. 22 HEADLINE: Star Wars strikes back: Will a US plan to create a shield against missile attacks start a new arms race, // ln-acs

The Russian concerns were put bluntly last week by Victor Chernomyrdin, the former Russian prime minister. Deploying missile defence and walking away from the ABM treaty would be a huge mistake, he told a US audience. "Do you want to start the arms race again?"

ABANDONING THE ABM TREATY MEANS A NEW EAST-WEST ARMS RACE

"With respect to the ABM Treaty, I believe it's in our interest to maintain that. I think we need to modify it to allow for an NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE program that I've outlined, but the ABM Treaty I think is important to maintain the limitations on offensive missiles. To the extent that there is no ABM Treaty, then certainly Russia or other countries would feel free to develop as many offensive weapons as they wanted, which would then set in motion a comparable dynamic to offset that with more missiles here."

Secretary of Defense William Cohen press conference, January 20, 1999

AMERICA BREAKING THE ABM TREATY WILL LEAD TO A NEW ARMS RACE IN OUTER SPACE

Jeanne Moore The New York Times August 20, 1999, SECTION: Section A; Page 4; Column 3; HEADLINE: WORLD BRIEFING // lnu-acs

Russia and the United States ended a new round of arms control talks with Moscow saying American plans for a missile defense system could start a new arms race in outer space. After three days of talks, the two sides appeared to have made little progress, with the main bone of contention American hopes to modify the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty to permit a limited missile defense.   (Reuters)