The National Missile Defence System: To back or not to back!
24 May, 2001 · 500
Parama Sinha Palit lauds India's endorsements of the NMD while cautioning that India will have to play a balancing act between its relations with the US and Russia
The ‘Cold Peace’ of the early post Cold War era has been replaced by a ‘Cold Conflict’; its challenges are more complex The US foreign policy has a major role to play in this regard.
US is protected by an anti-missile shield (sea-based, air-based and land-based defences). The
US plans to take ‘friends and partners’ along to erect this grand security system. To pave the way, President Bush wishes to discard the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (1972) with a new ‘framework’.
US strategy of deterring aggression by maintaining a large offensive nuclear capability. The move has generated considerable apprehension and criticism. The Russians have called it ‘NMD madness’ and have chastised it as an attempt to establish absolute military dominance. The Chinese have accused
America of ‘unilateral nuclear expansion’. They fear that the missiles could be used to protect
Taiwan , an outcome of the recent Taiwan-tilt displayed by
America .
America no longer requiring old, obsolete, and vulnerable armaments. This, arguably, was the reason behind the President’s promise of deep unilateral cuts in
America ’s nuclear arsenal. Despite its suspect motivations, the move can be deemed a revolutionary step in the post Cold War period. A deployment of a rudimentary
US missile defence seems likely by the year 2004.
India 's national interest. Given
India ’s hostile neighbourhood, it has to develop a strategic partnership with the
US . The
US president’s reference to ‘the world’s least-responsible states’ brings cheer for
India , since this obviously includes
Pakistan . In the past, the Americans had supported
Pakistan against
India . The spirit of the new defence programme comes into conflict with countries having aggressive nuclear strategies; which includes
Pakistan and
China .
India ’s endorsement of the NMD, though ‘early’, creates new opportunities for engagement with the Bush administration. But
India cannot afford to alienate
Russia , a traditional all. The Indian foreign policy has to be skilled enough to perform a difficult balancing act. The country has to strengthen its strategic partnership with the
US , critical for Indian security and Asian stability, and yet, retain its long-standing ties with
Moscow .
India to back the new defence system.
India would certainly not want a repeat of the Cold War era, when it was identified as a low-priority country versus
Pakistan , which was considered a trusted ally. Imposition of periodic sanctions and debarment from nuclear policy discussions were familiar occurrences at that time.
India does not want to disrupt the pattern set by former President Bill Clinton in his second term. President Bush is carrying the initiative a step further. This was reiterated by the US National Security Adviser, Condolezza Rice when she mentioned the phrase ‘friends and allies’ of the
US .
US will be replacing by a missile umbrella, which would strengthen US-led security arrangements. By virtue of its being in
America ’s good books,
India can avail the benefits of the system and, in the process, improve its security. This would substantially reduce the threat perceptions from
Pakistan and
China and enable the state to divert resources to developmental activities. It remains to be seen how
India can exploit the situation to its advantage.
On 1st May 2001, President Bush waxed eloquent on his missile-defence plan, which seeks to ward the off the aggressive postures that emanate from Iran, Iraq, North Korea and other ‘rogue’ states, in contrast to the Soviet Union earlier. The President emphasized the ‘most urgent threat to the US stemmed from a small number of missiles in the hands of states’ for whom ‘terror and blackmail are a way of life’.
The ambitious National Missile Defence System (NMD) is a sequel to President Ronald Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’. It personifies President Bush's vision of a ‘brave new world’ in which the
The significant aspect lies in the President’s shift towards a defensive nuclear strategy, which underlines a marked departure from the traditional
The NMD will unleash a new arms race, involving the control of outer space. It will deliver new weapon systems, with
Despite threat perceptions of a renewed arms race, the NMD requires attention from the prism of
President Bush’s ‘new order’ promises unilateral cuts in nuclear arms, a de-alerting of nuclear forces and a promise to develop what he calls ‘a new cooperative relationship’ in the nuclear sphere. These have encouraged
It appears that the nuclear umbrella held by the
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