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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 - 04:08pm Mar 1, 2001 EST (#813 of 818)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Summary of postings since #266 (#1)

My involvement with the Missile Defense thread began with 07:32am Sep 25, 2000 EST (#266) Ridding the world of nuclear weapons, this year or next year. What would have to happen? rshowalt 9/25/00 7:32am

for the rest of that day, I had a discussion with "becq," who I believe is President Clinton, ending at #304, which is worth reading in itself ... rshowalt 9/25/00 5:28pm

There's much else, involving careful argument and hard work, but it makes sense to pick up the thread more recently, when it became clear, again, that there might be an opening fit for the practical large scale reduction, or elimination, of nuclear weapons. Key passages are set out and hotkeyed here, but I'm proud of the text in between, as well.

#640 Is nuclear disarmament something so far outside the real of the possible so that it is kind of foolish to have a debate on something you cant do anything about ? No one need doubt the importance of dealing with the other clear and present dangers. But is nuclear disarmament - actually undiscussable, beyond the pale? Plenty of able people, including senior military people, favor nuclear disarmament rshowalter 2/1/01 6:49pm

#374, Signatories of the Global Security Institute appeal as of October 2, 2000 seem well worth listing, because I find the list hopeful: rshowalt 10/4/00 5:08am

#664, An operational definition of Good Theory in real sciences for real people. and it applies to good military doctrine (which is military theory, built to use.). rshowalter 2/9/01 1:53pm

rshowalter - 04:12pm Mar 1, 2001 EST (#814 of 818)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Summary of postings since #266 (#2)

#679: Before the ugliness of nuclear terror can be well resolved, we'll have to come to terms with how afraid the Russians are of us, and how they are afraid, and also how afraid we are of the Russians, and how we are afraid of them. . No matter what anybody says, or how anybody poses (or what anybody says, however sincerely) both sides are fundamentally, deeply terrified of first strike tricks. rshowalter 2/12/01 12:58pm

#686: I made a proposal for getting nuclear weapons down rshowalt 9/25/00 7:32am that depends, in large part, on an insight from cryptography. Encoding in clear can be safe, and under circumstances of distrust, can be essential. With my partner, Dawn Riley, we did a demonstration. rshowalter 2/14/01 7:36am

rshowalter - 04:14pm Mar 1, 2001 EST (#815 of 818)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Summary of postings since #266 (#3)

#690: Nuclear war would be worse than anything the Germans did in WWII. "Populations with competent militaries know everything they have to in order to support what is done. In the same way, Americans, and especially Americans responsible for military action, must know - must be responsible for, the risks they take with atomic weapons. In the world we live in, these weapons may be necessary - the most beautiful accomodations must be the ones that fit reality, and are the best, in terms of clear, reasonable, humane priorities, that they can be. But it is ugly , and immoral in the extreme, to avoid procedures that get right answers that can be checked. rshowalter 2/14/01 4:16pm

#691-692" A beautiful essay by Dawn Riley: Quotations from the universe next door: edevershed 2/16/01 1:26am

#709-711: I'm working with a model system, important in itself, big enough to be realistic, showing how the most essential aspects of this impasse can be solved. The objective is to make a major change in a field of science, and to do so preserving infrastructure. To do so with an absolute minimum of casualties - perhaps with no casualties. To do so smoothly, in such a way that nothing goes "bang" ..... (a desireable objective, I feel, where nuclear weapons are concerned.) In my view, things are going breathtakingly well on this test case.

"My own view, now, is that we may be in the middle of the cleanest, neatest, fairest, most beautiful, most bloodless resolution of a paradigm conflict in the history of science. That would be something we could all be proud of, and, in my opinion, might set a precedent that would be of long service to the United States of America." rshowalter 2/18/01 3:55pm

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense