July 6, 2006 :: Analysis
Ben Shapiro, a 2006 Publius Fellow at the Claremont Institute, discusses the urgent need for missile defenses on FamilySecurityMatters.org. Without an effective missile defense system, notes Shapiro, the U.S. risks defeat in the War on Terror and in future confrontations with rogue nations. Since terrorist groups must have the aid of state sponsors in order to succeed in their operations, the U.S. and its allies must have the capability to destroy these state sponsors in order to successfully prosecute the War on Terror. However, the absence of an effective U.S. missile defense system provides rogue nations with a way to deter such attacks. Shapiro lays out a plausible and troubling scenario:
Imagine, for example, that Iran worked with al-Qaeda to station a ballistic missile off the coast of California. Imagine also that Iran, which is currently racing to update its missile technology to take advantage of American shortcomings, develops missiles capable of reaching the United States directly. Al-Qaeda launches its ballistic missile over Los Angeles, and the city is destroyed. America, recognizing Iranian sponsorship, seeks to retaliate. Iran, however, explains calmly that if any attempt at regime change is made, it will launch its missiles on Israel and America. Would a president knowingly sacrifice millions of additional lives to avenge the millions lost in Los Angeles?
This is international blackmail, and it is promoted by American vulnerability. There is a reason that Kim Jong Il spent so much time and effort developing both nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technology capable of carrying those weapons to America’s shores. Kim Jong Il, like most of America’s enemies, sees that he can prevent aggressive American action by gaining a deterrent. The more vulnerable we are to ballistic missile threat, the more our enemies will exploit the vulnerability—and less likely we are to do anything about it.
(Article)
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