ABSTRACT
The American war effort in Afghanistan against the Taliban and the Osama bin Laden network and the war against Saddam’s Iraq naturally eclipsed what had been a rigorous debate over the strategic wisdom of ballistic missile defenses, a major national security emphasis of the Bush administration. The debate over the pros and cons of ballistic missile defenses has been reduced from a boiling to simmering pot for now. What remains has partisan tones with Republicans and the Bush administration arguing that the threat to American territory by nation-states armed with ballistic missiles – perhaps tipped with chemical, biological, and nuclear warheads – is a contemporary reality. The Republicans argue that the United States is defenseless against these weapons and must embark on ambitious research, development, procurement, and deployment programs to field ballistic missile defenses to guard American citizens, homeland, and armed forces abroad.
