To the consternation of many Europeans, US President George W. Bush has made clear that the intends to deploy a national missile defence (NMD) as soon as possible. Whereas Bush sees NMD deployment as indispensable in a world of proliferating weapons of mass destruction, Europeans worry that it will spur an arms race with Russia and China; decouple Europe from the US} and waste scarce resources on technologies that may never work against a threat that may not exist. Narrowing this gap is critical, however, because the US needs European support -- in the form of radar sites and diplomatic cooperation -- if the NMD project is to succeed. As it moves forward, the Bush administration should makc clear that NMD is not directed at Russia or China; make good- faith efforts to modify the Anti--Bal1istic Missile Treaty; not rush into deployment; and stand ready to provide missile--defence coverage for Europe as well
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