U.S. Nukes Plan Viewed as Provocative

[babylonsister]

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/03/23/23/

U.S. Nukes Plan Viewed as Provocative
by Eli Clifton

WASHINGTON - The announcement earlier this month that the United States will pursue the design and construction of new nuclear weapons has not been warmly embraced by the rest of the world.

In fact, most people outside the country view the move as more evidence of a policy favouring unilateralism and the pursuit of absolute military superiority, according to a report written last December but just released Wednesday on global perceptions of U.S. nuclear policy.0323 02

The report, commissioned by the Pentagon’s Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), used focus groups and written and oral interviews with participants in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to assess international feelings toward the plan for a new generation of nuclear warheads.

It found that China and Russia, in particular, are watching the scope of U.S. missile deployments with concern that Washington might be attempting to move away from a deterrence posture through more effective defences.

Under the new Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) programme, older nuclear warheads currently maintained under the Stockpile Stewardship Programme will be replaced by simpler weapons meant to be more reliable, easier to manufacture and more robust than current models. They would reportedly be ready for production by 2012.

The decision to upgrade the U.S. nuclear arsenal is being opposed by some members of the U.S. Congress, who believe it sends a message that Washington is pursuing first strike capabilities instead of a policy of détente and arms reduction, as was the case during the Cold War.

more...