Are the U.S. and Russia heading toward a new arms race?
Richard Lourie argues that the U.S. and Russia may be heading towards a new arms race:
On May 20, Russiaâ??s top generals made what Time magazine called â??a startling admission of weakness.â? In their opinion, by 2015 the NATO missile defense system would neutralize both Russiaâ??s ICBMs and its submarine-based ballistic missiles. That could be devastating for Russia because, as defense analyst Ruslan Pukhov points out, for â??relatively little expense, Russiaâ??s nuclear forces support the countryâ??s status as a great power, provide a military deterrent to other major powers and enable it to maintain moderately sized conventional forces.â?But Pukhov also demonstrates that the generals are wrong about the 2015 date â?? or were just making noises as part of the bargaining process. Russiaâ??s nuclear arsenal will not be significantly stymied by the system NATO wants to put in place. But once in place, that system could provide an excellent base for a more elaborate system that could indeed neutralize Russia as a nuclear power. Since Russia has no leverage over the United States and NATO, its only choice would be to upgrade its own heavy, ground-based multistage missiles. In other words, Russia and the United States, without in the least meaning to, may be backing into a new arms race.
