IP: 21 ST-CENTURY MAGINOT LINE?

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L. Park    Friday, 7 Aug 98   Washington, DC
(Contributions made by Erin McNicholas)


1. NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM: 21 ST-CENTURY MAGINOT LINE? 
A recent report by the Commission to Assess Ballistic Missile
Threats has many on Capitol Hill clamoring for a national missile
defense system(WN 17 Jul 98), but what do the authors of the
report think?  Richard Garwin, writing in the NYT, expresses his
alarm over this reaction to the report. "It would be foolhardy to
base our security on a 21st-century Maginot line....  The best
way to defend against possible attack is to prevent [rogue
countries] from getting these missiles in the first place." 
Ironic advice considering the US remains the No. 1 arms dealer in
the world, selling $15.2B worth of weapons in 1997 alone.