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excerpt
US Department of State
International Information Program
Office of Research
Foreign Media Reaction
December 27, 2002
MISSILE DEFENSE: 'SON OF STAR WARS' RANKLES MANY

RUSSIA:

"MD May Affect Russia-U.S. Treaty Ratification In Duma"

Nikolai Poroskov remarked on page one of reformist Vremya MN (12/24): "All the United States' NMD plans may really affect is the ratification by the Duma of the treaty on strategic offensive reductions that the Russian and American presidents signed last May. With U.S. anti-missile systems appearing near the Russian border, some deputies may vote against that treaty."

"The Order Is Given To 'Go!'"

Yevgeniy Bai wrote in reformist Izvestiya (12/19): "This year the United States managed to withdraw with minimal damage from the American-Russian ABM treaty, which prohibited the deployment of systems like the one that it is now starting to build in Alaska. But, having successfully overcome the political barrier, the United States has still not been able to raise the actual technology of missile interception to an acceptable level. The test carried out on 11 December, the eighth in all, failed when the "infernal machine" that was supposed to hit the enemy missile was unable to separate from the launch vehicle.... Nevertheless the military people have persuaded the President that there is no time to lose and that all the flaws in the technology will be overcome 'operationally.' Many experts doubt that the military will succeed in fulfilling the plan under the conditions of the brief Arctic summer. Some reports suggest that Bush will therefore have to agree to the deployment in Alaska by October 2004 not of ten but of five interceptor missiles. If that is achieved, the President will be able to declare on the eve of the election that he has fulfilled his promise and made the country safe from attack by 'rogue states.'"

"Arms Race Resumes"

Moscow's centrist Nezavisimaya Gazeta commented (12/19): "In announcing the deployment of missile defense, Bush demonstrated that the United States has no intention of coordinating or even discussing with Moscow its moves in the missile defense sphere. Not for nothing did Marshal Sergeyev, the Russian Federation president's aide, say yesterday that Russia has been provided with 'no weighty arguments to indicate that the deployment of missile defense will not bring about a reduction in the effectiveness of Russia's strategic nuclear forces.'... The official reaction from the Russian Federation Foreign Ministry was restrained and boiled down to an expression of 'regret' in connection with the 'galvanization of the U.S. attempts to develop so-called 'global missile defense.' However, analysis of the two sides' real moves shows that, while evading a public confrontation, which is inappropriate in the context of the joint war on terrorism, Washington and Moscow began a new round of the arms race about a year ago."

"Bush Says 'Now'"

Reformist Izvestiya (12/18) front-paged this piece from Yevgeniy Bai in Washington: "Washington has set about implementing its ambitious (MD) plan in spite of protests from Moscow and Beijing. True, those have been muted somewhat lately.... As if testing America' s patience, North Korea has over the past few days made several statements seen in Washington as undisguised provocation.... According to U.S. military experts, the deployment of even five interceptor missiles is enough to protect the United States from a possible North Korean attack.... This year the United States has managed to pull out of the ABM treaty with minimal damage."

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