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Kathmandu Friday May 04, 2001 Baishakh 21, 2058.
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US defence shield
US President George W Bush, while delivering
a speech at the National Defence University the other day, vowed to develop and deploy a
shield against ballistic missile attacks. Such a vow has come only a month after the EP-3E
spy plane incident that ended in the US saying "sorry" for the death of a
Chinese pilot. It took more than two weeks to settle the dispute between the two countries
and the spy plane is still in the Chinese hands. The US seems to have recognized the
widening Chinese influence over Asia, and it is something Bush has in mind rather than
defending against nuclear rogue states, as he has claimed. This further indicates that he
intends to contain China, the emerging superpower. The 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM)
Treaty, which bars such defence systems and to which China is not a signatory, is going to
be superceded de facto. However, a flurry of criticism has come from the US Democrats as
well as from the Chinese leaders. Such a defence missile system will spark another arms
race rather than help prevent rogue states from developing nuclear missiles on their own,
it is pointed out.
Bush has decided to send out envoys for
discussions with allies in Asia, Europe and Australia on the missile defence system, he
vows to erect. While this is against the spirit of the ABM treaty signed between the US
and former USSR, (ABM clearly underlines that neither the US nor the former USSR should
develop any missile defence system), Bush clearly feels a need to update the architecture
of US strategic defence. A former Republican president had felt the need to deploy a Star
Wars defence shield. ABM was Cold War deterrence. Each super power felt that "the
first strike could end up in mutual annihilation". Bush considers this to be an
adversial legacy of the past and he is determined to replace it with a new framework that
clearly reflects the reality of US hegemony over the world. But the consequences may well
turn out to be contrary to what Bush envisages. His plan to build a shield against missile
attacks may trigger a new arms race since there are now as many as fourteen countries
believed to have developed, bought or stolen nuclear know-how. China too may react more
than in words. It will almost certainly see Bush's strategy as being inspired by the
Taiwan issue.
The plan to develop and deploy a missile defence
shield looks set to become the latest point of contention in the USA’s tense
relationship with China. A joint military base at Pine Gap in northern Australia, part of
the proposed defence scheme, will threaten not only China but also Asia. Bush’s plans
may sound good to his allies, but it may increase a sense of insecurity in the region. It
seems that some decisions the US takes are too important to be left to the US alone.
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