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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 - 04:18pm Jun 26, 2001 EST (#6064 of 6070)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

In reasoning about the world, all anybody has, or can have, is consistency relationships.

(Axiomatic systems, built from assumptions called axioms, are different from this.)

The flow of information, even on restricted subjects - such as missile defense -- is very large -- and if one wants to get patterns that fit all credible data -- it takes matching -- a lot of it --- and that usually means staffing, and effort, when answers really matter.

People have to do matching -- and quite often, "sound bite length" responses don't cut it.

Here's information closely connected to missile defense, already predigested, published in this newspaper, just this week.

A Memo From Osama By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/26/opinion/26FRIE.html

Physicist Said to Be Top Choice for Science Adviser to President By ROBERT PEAR http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/25/politics/25AIDE.html

Pentagon Study Casts Doubt on Missile Defense Schedule By JAMES DAO Members of Congress plan to make public a study that found testing of the missile defense program suffered too many failures to justify deploying the system in 2005. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/25/politics/25MISS.html

Stealth Bomber, Once Scorned, Gains Fresh Backing By JAMES DAO http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/26/national/26BOMB.html

Sunday Q & A: Protecting the White House http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/24/national/24SUNQ.html

Just What Game Is Putin Playing? By PATRICK E. TYLER President Bush had seemed exuberant that he had created some momentum in Europe for his proposals when President Vladimir V. Putin shifted the ground under him. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/24/weekinreview/24TYLE.html

Powell Dismisses Putin Warning on Missiles By THE NEW YORK TIMES Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is dismissing a warning from President Vladimir V. Putin that Russia will upgrade its nuclear weapon to counter the United States' missile shield. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/24/world/24POWE.html

The Red-State Network: How Fox News Conquered Bush Country -- and Toppled CNN By MARSHALL SELLA http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/24/magazine/24FOXNEWS.html

Rumsfeld to Seek $33 Billion Rise for Military By THOM SHANKER and JAMES DAO http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/23/politics/23MILI.html

News Analysis: Terror, Iran and the U.S. By JAMES RISEN and JANE PERLEZ ... To critics, the indictment of 13 Saudis and a Lebanese in a 1996 truck bombing once again revealed an American reluctance to tackle Tehran head-on on terrorism. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/23/world/23TERR.html

Kissinger Offers a Realist's Reflections on Foreign Policy By RICHARD BERNSTEIN Henry A. Kissinger's new book illustrates why he has retained prestige and influence as a commentator on international affairs. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/22/arts/22BOOK.html

Skeptical Senators Question Rumsfeld on Missile Defense By JAMES DAO http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/22/politics/22MILI.html

A Delicate Nuclear Balance By ANATOL LIEVEN Russian and other opponents of antimissile programs have good reason to hope that America's defense systems will go on failing in tests, eventually burying the whole plan in ridicule. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/21/opinion/21LIEV.html

World Briefing http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/20/world/20BRIE.html

Invitation to an Arms Race http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/20/opinion/20WED2.html

Putin Says Russia Would Counter U.S. Shield By PATRICK E. TYLER http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/19/world/19RUSS.html

Bush, Putin and the Missile Card http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/19/opinion/L19BUSH.html

VLADIMIR V. PUTIN on President Bush's plan for a missile defense system.

North Korea Rebuffs U.S. on Troop Talks By HOWARD W. FRENCH http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/19/world/19KORE.html

almarst-2001 - 04:24pm Jun 26, 2001 EST (#6065 of 6070)

Robert,

I got an impression that Gisterme and Dirac assume any critical view of US as Ant-American, un-patriotic and even treason.

Well, as a former Soviet Citizen I am too familiar with this line of thinking. The difference as I see it, is that back then, the people who called themselve intelligentia (rightfully in my oppinion), used to ask questions and search for answers, knowing not to expect it from a Soviet media. In doing so, they risked not just their jobs. And they did not intent to help the US to destroy the Russia. They wanted to live in a better country.

(5 following messages)

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