the radar-based missile defense system that the latter plans to establish in Europe. People are wondering what the real reason behind this dispute is, even while the rest of the world seeks peace. What strategies are the two sides taking? Will the dispute lead to new military equipment competition, and even a new round of Cold War? And what will be the end of it?

Political elements

It has actually been America’s long-time wish to place a missile shield in Europe. After the Cold War, the United States continued to keep its eyes on Russia. At first it handled the enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU), and then established military bases in countries that were traditionally under Russian influence. When U.S. President George W. Bush came into power, he saw that Russia’s economic and military powers had been greatly weakened. Thereafter he started to seek absolute dominance of strategic nuclear weapons on the globe, and announced that the United States was quitting the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM). Since then the two countries have been contesting one another on the subject of anti-ballistic missiles. America’s target is to suppress Russia to make sure that it cannot compete with America on the world stage, so as to guarantee U.S. supremacy in world affairs.

The United States claimed that its goal was the safety of Europe and that it was protecting its allies from being attacked. However, Russia didn’t accept the explanation. Faced with the prospect of the possible attack from America, Russia has had to strengthen its military power and turn from positive defense to active attack. Now that the United States has decided to deploy an anti-missile system in the Czech Republic and Poland, Russia has strongly opposed the plan and declared that if America did so, Russia would target its missiles toward U.S. anti-missile bases in those countries. Russia suggested recently that the anti-missile shield be erected in Azerbaijan, or even in Iraq or Turkey. America’s attitude toward this “interesting” proposition remains negative and rejective. The crisis cannot be resolved until the two sides make concerted efforts.

Technical elements

The U.S. ballistic missile defense plan covers the Theater Missile Defense (TMD), which is to protect U.S. troops overseas and U.S. allies from missile attack, and the National Missile Defense (NMD), which is to protect the U.S. mainland from missile threat. In September 2000, the Clinton administration announced that it was suspending the NMD system because of worldwide criticism and its technical immaturity. After President Bush assumed position, he combined the TMD and NMD and set up a comprehensive missile defense system (MD). In 2004, America started to deploy long-range intercepting missile systems in military bases in Alaska and California, and planned to install 20 missile-intercepting devices within three years. According to U.S. plans, America will set up 10 missile-eradicating devices for missile intercepting in Poland, and an advanced anti-missile radar system in the Czech Republic by 2011.