GAGNON RADIO INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTBETWEEN THE LINES Q&A is a weekly column featuring progressive viewpoints on national and international issues under-reported in mainstream media.
for release June 26, 2000
Criticism mounting against U.S. missile defense plan
Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, assesses the continuing international debate on the Clinton Administration proposal for a U.S. missile defense program.
While President Clinton considers whether or not to deploy a limited missile defense system later this year, opponents assert that much has happened recently that further undercuts the rationale supporting the weapons program estimated to cost $60 billion dollars.
A dramatic breakthrough in negotiations between North and South Korea has diminished further the already distant threat that North Korea was said to pose to its Asian neighbors and the U.S. Recent elections in Iran, the other supposed rogue state, have confirmed the rise of moderates in the government there committed to improve relations with the West. In other developments, Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed an alternate "boost phase" intercept system that could protect against "rogue" missile attacks, but would remain in compliance with the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Meanwhile, information questioning the viability of the technology behind this resurrection of the Reagan-era Star Wars program continues to be made public. A recent General Accounting Office report concluded that the system was based on uncertain assessments of the potential threat and was vulnerable to delays and escalating costs.
Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, who assesses the continuing debate on the Clinton Administration proposal to build a U.S. missile defense program.
Bruce Gagnon:
We're really talking about the Clinton Administration taking this next grand step of moving war into the heavens, which is something that -- if we, the people of the world, allow to go forward -- will be extremely difficult to (reverse). We now have the aerospace corporations promoting this. Boeing has just announced that they're going to start a PR campaign across the country in order to convince the public that spending $60 billion initially and hundreds of billions of dollars over many years for this Star Wars program is a good idea.So the aerospace corporations are really gearing up to push this thing forward, but we're beginning to see opposition grow around the world. Russia and China are very much opposed to it. European countries have come out very strongly against this idea of violating the ABM treaty, which always kept a lid on moving the arms race into outer space. Texas Gov. George W. Bush is saying that he wants to do away with ABM if he's elected president. Vice President Al Gore kind of waffles around a bit.
So, it really is a very important time not to look to the politicians, but for the public globally to really organize and to create one voice around the world. That's what our group is trying to organize: people all over the world speaking out to keep space for peace.
Between The Lines:
The pretext on which this whole missile defense program is based is the so-called threat from rogue states such as North Korea, Iran and Iraq. If we look at North Korea and Iran, they seem a lot less menacing after peace talks between North and South Korea began just a week or so ago and elections in Iran which overwhelmingly confirm the rise of moderates and reformists in that government. Talk to us about the justification for this missile defense system based on the threats inherent from North Korea and Iran.Bruce Gagnon:
It's all fabricated. We've learned that the CIA changed what's called the evaluative criteria -- in other words, the criteria that the CIA used to determine when (a nation) would be able to attack us with missiles. In the case of North Korea, for example, at the earliest it would be 2010. But the CIA changed the criteria. It's number crunching, you know. And so the CIA changed it to say, "Oh, well look, North Korea will be able to do it by 2005 and so we must begin building a missile defense system now in order to be able to meet that threat in 2005."So it's a lie. The CIA's been lying and the White House and Congress have all been complicit in this lie, because they've all been saying together, "Look, we need to move forward with this as quickly as possible. But coincidentally, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, has stated that Iran, Libya, and North Korea are no longer 'rogue states,' that they're changing their name to 'states of concern,' because those countries 'aren't as bad as they used to be.'
Well, if that's a fact, then why in God's name are we contemplating spending initially $60 billion to create a new arms race, to create global instability, to make China and Russia and everyone else angry, unless there's another reason?
It's not about the rogue states, and it never has been and it never will be. It's about the United States wanting to develop the capability to control space and control the earth with space military technology.
Between The Lines:
Bruce, please comment for us on some interesting proposals made recently by Russian President Vladmir Putin when he met with President Clinton. He's taken a new approach to challenge the U.S. missile defense program, proposing to European nations and the U.S. international cooperation to develop a boost phase theater missile defense system which would -- as opposed to the Clinton plan -- be in compliance with the ABM treaty. Tell us a little bit about your view of Mr. Putin's strategy.Bruce Gagnon:
Well, I think strategy is a good word to use. I think Putin is trying to find some way to please everyone. He knows that the U.S. wants to build something, that there's a voracious appetite at the Pentagon to build things. He's saying to the Europeans who are absolutely instrumental in this whole thing, this alternative plan might be something that we can all work with.I personally don't think it's a good idea. China will not be at all happy with the so-called theater missile defense, an airborne laser that will be placed on a Boeing 747 that would be able to fly around the country and be able to zap a missile as it was launched.
Now that laser could also hit ground and other kinds of targets. So it not only is a defensive weapon, obviously it's an offensive weapon as well. You can imagine, going back to the Cuban missile crisis when Russia -- the Soviet Union at the time -- put nuclear weapons in Cuba, the United States went berserk: "You're coming into our circle of influence with all these weapon systems!"
Well, now imagine the reverse, pushing the stuff right down the throat of China -- so I think this theater missile defense always has many dangers inherent with it too. So we've got to be careful we're not so eager to sign onto some compromise in order to stop Star Wars. We don't think this theater missile defense is a good idea.
Contact Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space by calling (352) 337-9274 or visit their Web site at http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk
Scott Harris is WPKN Radio's public affairs director and executive producer of Between The Lines. This interview excerpt was featured on the award-winning, syndicated weekly newsmagazine, Between The Lines, for the week ending June 30, 2000. Access text and RealAudio archives of BTL radio shows at: http://www.btlonline.org. to see the Between The Lines Web site.
Listen to this interview excerpt with Bruce Gagnon at: http://www.wpkn.org/wpkn/news/gagnon063000.ram
Bruce K. Gagnon is the Coordinator of Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, PO Box 90083 Gainesville, FL. 32607 (352) 337-9274 http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk email globalnet@mindspring.com
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