The New Star Wars
China's destruction of one of its own orbiting satellites has potentially opened up a new arms race, this one involving space. The current US administration has already expressed its outrage over the Chinese test, and we can expect the conservative fog machine to begin cranking out high powered propaganda urging an increase in the Strategic Defense Initiative budget. This is an arms race the country can ill-afford, and it is one that could easily have been avoided.
One take on the news of the Chinese test and the US response was published in the UK's Guardian in a column written by Ian Williams. His snarky approach highlights the self-made quandary in which the Bush administration finds itself.
The US reprimand to China over its successful anti-satellite test has all the sincerity of King Herod leading a Unicef fund-raiser. As inventors of the rocket, the Chinese have every bit as much tenure in orbit as the country that belatedly followed Sputnik into space.
Of course no sensible person can be happy at Beijing's action, not least if you look at the 900-plus missiles aimed at Taiwan. But test was entirely legal - and it is so because the United States has consistently blocked any international convention to "limit its freedom of manoeuvre" in space.
Restated only last year, US military doctrine is that it should control beyond earth orbit, and make sure nobody else can challenge it, which is why it will not accept any treaty demilitarizing space. [Emphasis added]
The US refusal even to discuss a plan to demilitarize space led up to this test, as Joseph Kahn pointed out in his piece in today's NY Times.
Some analysts suggested that one possible motivation was to prod the Bush administration to negotiate a treaty to ban space weapons. Russia and China have advocated such a treaty, but President Bush rejected those calls when he authorized a policy that seeks to preserve “freedom of action” in space. [Emphasis added]
This administration has yet to learn that such behavior has consequences, few (if any) of them good. Yet, when events such as China's successful test occurs, we can always count on the usual White House response.
"Who could have imagined ...?"
One take on the news of the Chinese test and the US response was published in the UK's Guardian in a column written by Ian Williams. His snarky approach highlights the self-made quandary in which the Bush administration finds itself.
The US reprimand to China over its successful anti-satellite test has all the sincerity of King Herod leading a Unicef fund-raiser. As inventors of the rocket, the Chinese have every bit as much tenure in orbit as the country that belatedly followed Sputnik into space.
Of course no sensible person can be happy at Beijing's action, not least if you look at the 900-plus missiles aimed at Taiwan. But test was entirely legal - and it is so because the United States has consistently blocked any international convention to "limit its freedom of manoeuvre" in space.
Restated only last year, US military doctrine is that it should control beyond earth orbit, and make sure nobody else can challenge it, which is why it will not accept any treaty demilitarizing space. [Emphasis added]
The US refusal even to discuss a plan to demilitarize space led up to this test, as Joseph Kahn pointed out in his piece in today's NY Times.
Some analysts suggested that one possible motivation was to prod the Bush administration to negotiate a treaty to ban space weapons. Russia and China have advocated such a treaty, but President Bush rejected those calls when he authorized a policy that seeks to preserve “freedom of action” in space. [Emphasis added]
This administration has yet to learn that such behavior has consequences, few (if any) of them good. Yet, when events such as China's successful test occurs, we can always count on the usual White House response.
"Who could have imagined ...?"
Labels: Star Wars
posted by Diane at 10:46 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home