April 7, 2004 :: News
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov in Oslo reported that the U.S. and Russia are preparing to sign an agreement which would provide Russia access to U.S. missile defense technologies, and vice versa, and become a basis for the development of a joint missile defense system. Ivanov spoke of missile tracking systems, but indicated actual development could also take place. The comments came amidst his confirming that Russia would cooperate with the Bush Administration’s Proliferation Security Initiative, designed to intercept weapons of mass destruction and missiles before they can be transferred to, from, or between rogue states.
One might well be suspicious of such cooperation with Russia. Agreements which would narrowly limit limit U.S. missile defenses or make their technologies intimate knowledge of Russia—and anyone Russia chose to give the information to—would effectively return us to a situation very similar to that under the ABM Treaty: namely, that America would not be able to defend against the arsenals of Russia and China. Anything which limits American missile defenses and prevents their becoming truly strategic defenses—a policy for which Russia has repeatedly called for since it became obvious the US would withdraw from the Treaty—will effectively maintain the Cold War policy of mutually assured destruction. True, limited defenses would not involve rogue states in such a policy of MAD, but it would remain essentially intact with regard to Russia and China. (Article)
» Apr. 21, 2001: Russia favors non-strategic missile defense
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