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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 - 06:33pm Mar 30, 2001 EST (#1801 of 1817)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

There's lot of hard work on this thread, and looking back, a lot of good argument and good writing. Here are some highlights, that I've enjoyed recently.

Jobs can be impossible: rshowalter 1/29/01 8:48pm

Project shoots down treaties, but not missiles: mhunter20 1/31/01 11:19am

People fix things: rshowalter 2/1/01 1:17pm

Ted Turner and Sam Nunn: rshowalter 2/1/01 6:44pm

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

Verification, and the importance of first steps: mhunter20 2/5/01 9:51am to rshowalter 2/5/01 9:08pm

MD can work? Who says so: rshowalter 2/6/01 5:06am

Nuclear disarmament - consensus is key: rshowalter 2/8/01 5:29pm

An entirely predictable confrontation and impasse: rshowalter 2/8/01 8:31pm

Nukes aren't very useful: rshowalter 2/9/01 12:39pm
rshowalter 2/11/01 4:41am

Beautiful Bush posture, as far as it went: rshowalter 2/9/01 1:24pm

BEAUTY: rshowalter 2/9/01 1:53pm

On an influential Week In Review spread: rshowalter 2/11/01 12:03pm

How AFRAID we are of each other - and good references: rshowalter 2/12/01 12:58pm . . . to . . . rshowalter 2/13/01 4:43pm

SEND IN CLEAR: Dawn Riley and I did a demonstration: rshowalter 2/13/01 4:43pm

eurocore - 08:17pm Mar 30, 2001 EST (#1802 of 1817)

Rshowalter

I'm a bit confused - I think the vast majority of people agree that the existance of nuclear weapons on this planet is a bad thing, but people tend to disagree as to the solution. CND campaign for individual contries to disarm was unlikely ever to succeed, as any country in the world would benefit enormously by bucking the morality issue and having the only nuclear arsenal in the world.

What do you propose we do? Surely it is impossible to de-nuclearise, whilst the world contains any states that potentially might attack another?

Best Wishes,

Tom

rshowalter - 09:42pm Mar 30, 2001 EST (#1803 of 1817)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Tom, that is a beautiful, constructive question. I'll respond in the morning.

Thanks, and best wishes,

Bob

almarst-2001 - 10:27pm Mar 30, 2001 EST (#1804 of 1817)

eurocore 3/30/01 8:17pm

May be true for a very short time. But then, as soon as that will become known, in order to maintain its advantage, this country will have to use it to destroy any other country which has a potential to restore or create the nuclear potential, as the only way to preserve its advantage for any meaningful period of time. Which means to destroy all other developed countries. Which, even if possible to hide such an arsenal(highly unlikely), would invariably result in an assured nuclear destruction of the Earth's athmosphere.

The important principle of the human nature as we know it, is that no nation or significant group will submit to indefinite slavory. You will have to destroy it or invent some way to rule their minds. The first will mean death of this planet, and the last, if achievable, would eliminate the need in any other type of wearpons.

lunarchick - 11:23pm Mar 30, 2001 EST (#1805 of 1817)
lunarchick@www.com

Updates:

Putin has a 70% approval rating .. but is this a 'transparent' figure. Military streamlining arose from frustration of not having 'mobile' soliders to utilise for national emergencies (read squash Chet-independance). Conscription will stop. The Russian army will become more professional.

Bush turns whitehouse lawn into a minature baseball pitich .... 'wow'! Next world leaders will be expected to appear in full team strip for an audience ?

lunarchick - 02:28am Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1806 of 1817)
lunarchick@www.com

http://news.indiainfo.com/2000/10/14/missiles.html

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