PRESS RELEASE

30 April, 2001

Bush  Proclaims  Nuclear  Anarchy

US president George W. Bush is expected to deliver a speech on Tuesday outlining his administration’s stance on developing a National Missile Defence (NMD) system and other nuclear issues, amid a highly-publicized barrage of criticism from Europe over the rejection of the Kyoto global warming agreement and the cut off of North Korean missile talks.  Anticipated to affirm US commitment to deploying NMD, while offering substantial unilateral cuts in the nuclear arsenal as compensation, Bush stands to upset international strategic stability and widen the transatlantic divide over actions that affect the global community.

A commitment to instigate deep cuts in the US nuclear arsenal will rightly be welcomed by the international community.  However, Bush’s refusal to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and pentagon consideration of new nuclear weapons indicate increased opposition to all forms of international constraint on US nuclear policy.  Most worrying is the fact that plans to deploy a missile defence in the United States have continued despite emphatic objections by Russia, China, and NATO allies over strategic stability and proliferation concerns. 

US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, has described NMD as a “moral issue”.  BASIC director, Dan Plesch, said today; “The real moral issue is the choice between multilateral disarmament and the impossible dream of personal invulnerability.  The United States is increasingly revealing itself as the true ‘rogue state’, run by an administration determined not to be constrained by international law.”

One of the first opportunities for Europeans to respond publicly to the US president’s statement will be on Thursday, when the Danish Parliament will hold a debate on the use of a radar site in Greenland for US NMD, and the system’s impact on global nuclear proliferation.  This bold move, following a parliamentary hearing on 25 April 2001 featuring testimony from a variety of international NMD experts, reflects the long-standing concern felt throughout Europe over the potentially destabilising effect of missile defence.

The Danish government is pursuing a “wait and see” policy over whether to permit NMD-related radars on its territory, and Britain also has abstained from making a decision.  Washington has reassured its allies on numerous occasions that it would consult with them before moving forward on NMD.  But with Bush expected to give a preliminary outline of his proposal within the month, it will not be long before a decision has to be made.

For more information, please contact: 
Dan Plesch or Mark Bromley in BASIC’s London office, at +44 (0)20 7407 2977; or Christine Kucia in Washington, at +1 202 347 8340.

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