IMPACTS: NMD LEADS TO THE ADOPTION OF DANGEROUS NUCLEAR STRATEGIES

USA DECISION FOR MISSILE DEFENSE DEPLOYMENT WILL LEAD TO THE NUCLEAR ESCALATION PROCESS

Financial Times (London), October 21, 1999, SECTION: COMMENT & ANALYSIS; Pg. 23, HEADLINE: Domestic drama may spill on to world stage: An act of defiance by the US Senate could return to haunt America by rekindling the nuclear arms race // ln-10-29-99-acs

If the US embarks on NMD, it will infuriate the Russians and the Chinese, and privately appal the European allies. For it could well restart the whole nuclear escalation process.

EUROPE FEARS THAT WITHOUT THE ABM TREATY HE USA WILL ENGAGE IN PRE-EMPTIVE NUCLEAR STRIKES AGAINST SO-CALLED "ROGUE" NATIONS

William Drozdiak, Washington Post Foreign Service The Washington Post, November 6, 1999, SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A01 HEADLINE: Possible U.S.Missile Shield Alarms Europe; Allies Fear Arms Race, Diminished Security Ties // ln-acs-11-11-99

The allies also fear that, once endowed with a missile shield, the United States would be tempted to protect its superior posture by launching preemptive nuclear strikes against any perceived challenge, from "rogue states" such as North Korea or Iran, or from terrorist groups, for example--with or without the consent of the allies.

"We already went through this debate during the 1980s with Ronald Reagan and the idea of a 'Star Wars' anti-missile system," said a senior NATO official. "We learned how dangerous and divisive it can be when you tamper with the ABM treaty, and that is one thing that has not changed since the end of the Cold War."

EXISTENCE OF THEATER MISSILE DEFENSE INCREASES TEMPTATION TO STRIKE FIRST 

Frank Umbach, Senior Research Fellow at the German Society for

Foreign Affairs (DGAP) in Berlin, Jane's Intelligence Review, October 1, 1999 wise to P'yongyang's nuclear blackmail // ln-10/99-acs

Given this, unless a country threatened by theatre ballistic missiles has adequate early-warning systems to detect and an effective anti-ballistic missile defence to neutralise any such missiles, when placed under the severe psychological strain of imminent missile attacks it may see no solution but a pre-emptive military option.

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE ACTUALLY INCREASES THE POSSIBILITIES OF ACCIDENTAL AND ILLICIT NUCLEAR ATTACK

Measures of these kinds -- reducing the size and alert status of offensive arsenals, strengthening controls on weapons, and improving early warning systems -- promise real alleviation of the entire gamut of risks that BMD purportedly, but in reality does not, contain. Overall, BMD does more to aggravate than alleviate the dangers of accidental and illicit attack.

BMD STOPS THE REALLY PRODUCTIVE MEASURES TO REDUCE THE NUCLEAR THREAT -- REDUCE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND TAKE THEM OFF HAIR-TRIGGER POSTURE

BMD thus conflicts with more promising avenues to promoting nuclear safety: taking nuclear weapons out of service by cutting the allowable size of the arsenals and by removing the remainder from hair-trigger alert status.

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE WOULD TERRIFY OTHER NATIONS, AS IT GIVES THE USA THE UNLIMITED POWER OF A NUCLEAR FIRST STRIKE

AAron Lercher The Buffalo News June 16, 1999, SECTION: VIEWPOINTS, Pg. 3B

HEADLINE: U.S. SHOULD NOT PURSUE MISSILE-DEFENSE SYSTEM // lnu-acs

It's bad enough that the U.S. military has spent nearly $ 50 billion on nuclear missile defense that doesn't work. What's worse is the possibility that something might eventually come out of all this effort, money and ingenuity. If an effective missile defense were ever built, any country with such a defense could launch a first strike missile attack without fear of a counterattack.

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM IN THE POSSESSION OF A DESPERATE LEADER COULD LEAD TO EARLY USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

AAron Lercher The Buffalo News June 16, 1999, SECTION: VIEWPOINTS, Pg. 3B

HEADLINE: U.S. SHOULD NOT PURSUE MISSILE-DEFENSE SYSTEM // lnu-acs

Even a partially effective nuclear missile-defense system may tempt a desperate leader into committing actions that would otherwise be suicidal. We all should hope that the $ 50 billion spent on this has been nothing worse than a foolish waste of money.

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE FORCES US INTO A "CLEAN WAR FIGHTING" MINDSET WHICH IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

Elizabeth Sullivan The Plain Dealer June 14, 1999 SECTION: EDITORIALS & FORUM; Pg. 9B HEADLINE: MISSILE DEFENSE; FLAWED IN; EVERY RESPECT // lnu-acs

National missile defense has a lulling sound. But the limited and flawed system being presented to us should bring on nightmares, instead.

The idea that wars can be bloodless and clean, and that we'll never again feel the pain of them, is an ultimately corrupting - and misleading - notion. It should not be the vision that guides our national security policy into the next century.

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE DEVELOPMENT CREATES RISK OF FIRST STRIKE ATTACK BY BOTH SIDES

JESSE LARNER The New York Times May 27, 1999, SECTION: Section A; Page 32;  HEADLINE: Flawed Missile Defense // lnu-acs

It is a bad, destabilizing strategy because it encourages a potential enemy to attempt a large-scale first strike to get some missiles past the defense and because it may suggest to that enemy that the United States is preparing a first strike from behind the supposed safety of a missile defense wall.