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MISSILE DEFENSE THAT "WORKS"

Posted by EWRoss on Monday, September 21, 2009 7:00:00 AM
Despite the great progress the US has made in recent years in missile defense (MD) the debate over its use and effectiveness continues. The roots of that debate remain firmly planted in Cold-War thinking. Mutually assured destruction (MAD) doesn't maintain stability if one side has a MD advantage. Therefore, countries like the Russia and China will always oppose US MD and demand concessions, like Russia's demand that the US cancel the Czech-Poland MD program, as a precondition for arms control and other strategic negotiations.

The proliferation of short, medium, and long-range ballistic missiles by countries like North Korea and Iran, however, make MD an absolute necessity for the United States--North Korea and Iran pose no threat to Russia and China. No one said it better than President George W. Bush in a speech at the West Point Military Academy in 2002. "The gravest danger to freedom lies at the crossroads of radicalism and technology. When the spread of chemical and biological and nuclear weapons, along with ballistic missile technology--when that occurs, even weak states and small groups could attain a catastrophic power to strike great nations. Our enemies have declared this very intention, and have been caught seeking these terrible weapons."

President Obama frequently states that he favors MD that "works." Most people interpret "works" to mean can it reliably intercept missiles. Works can also mean does it maintain stability between the US, Russia, and China. Democrats have a long history of opposing MD on that basis. Understanding this logic is key to understanding President Obama's cancellation of the Czech-Poland program.

MD that does not provide a capability to intercept long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles is woefully inadequate, and the US must, therefore, develop and deploy such systems. It cannot allow Russia, China, or domestic opponents to dissuade it from that course.

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DISSING SARAH PALIN - The Corrupt Side of Our Politicial Humor

Posted by EWRoss on Monday, June 15, 2009 8:00:00 AM
Politicians are prime sources of comic material. They always have been, and in free societies they always will. Good, clean political humor, the kind legendary comedian Bob Hope served up for 70 years, is healthy. It helps prevent everyone from taking politicians too seriously, and it brings comic relief to hard-fought partisan struggles. When the purveyors of political humor attempt to use it to unjustly demean and degrade politicians, as David Letterman’s comments about Sarah Palin and her daughter attempted to do last week, they corrupt an important aspect of American politics.
 
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CONFRONTING NORTH KOREA

Posted by EWRoss on Monday, June 15, 2009 7:00:00 AM
Since North Korea's most recent nuclear weapon and missile tests, Kim Jong-Il is behaving like a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum. He warns that any sanctions on North Korea are a declaration of war.

UN resolution 1874 authorizes inspection of air and sea cargoes suspected of containing materials used for the development of nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles. Unfortunately, it fails to authorize the use of force to inspect ships and aircraft that resist inspection.

Unless the US and other countries halt these shipments, however, the UN sanctions will have little effect. We either do what's necessary to enforce the sanctions, or we accept that North Korea may build and sell all the nuclear weapons and missiles it wishes. Like the Cuban Missile Crisis, with the threat of force comes risks. The question we have to ask is, is that risk now worth preventing the uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear weapons and missile technology later?
 
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MAKE THE EARTH STAND STILL

Posted by EWRoss on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 8:00:00 AM
Arnoud de Borchgrave, writing in the June 1 edition of the Washington Times, asks the question “Is the world more dangerous today than it was at the height of the cold War?” Citing North Korea’s recent misbehavior, Iran’s nuclear program, the insecurity of Pakistan’s growing nuclear weapons stockpile, and nuclear proliferation, he gives the obvious answer that it is. For those of us who once thought of ourselves as cold warriors, that’s a frightening thought. Like most Americans we worried about nuclear annihilation during times like the Cuban missile crisis. But we always had the comfort of knowing that our Soviet adversaries had no more desire to go up in a mushroom cloud than we did. Good old mutually assured destruction (MAD) kept both sides’ fingers off the trigger. Today, however, countries and groups that don’t mind going up in the mushroom cloud with us are on the verge of possessing nuclear weapons. Any good oddsmaker will tell you that sooner or later one of them is going to use one. It’d be nice if, like in the 1951 movie The Day the Earth Stood Still, a wise man from another planet landed in a flying saucer and put the fear of God in everyone so we’d do something about it. Unfortunately, since that won’t happen, we have to figure out how to do it ourselves.
 
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OBAMA AND THE WORLD - Do His Policies Match His Words?

Posted by EWRoss on Monday, June 08, 2009 9:00:00 AM
President Barack Obama, in his foreign policy speeches at home and abroad, seeks to present a more engaging image of America to countries and peoples around the world. He frequently refers to the "mistakes of the past eight years," and he presents himself not so much as the leader of a superpower and the free world but as a leader of a co-equal member of the community of nations. How deeply committed is Obama to the national security ideas and principles he articulates; and do Obama administration policies match the President’s words?
 
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