When Regimes Change, Weapons Remain

May 15, 2003

“A strategy that focuses exclusively on regimes and not on weapons themselves has several flaws, and the most obvious one is this: when regimes change, weapons remain.” – New York Times Magazine Sunday Edition, Bill Keller

Members, Supporters and Friends:

Quoting the New York Times Magazine: “The Second Nuclear Age can be defined as weak nations vying for power by obtaining nuclear weapons. In the First Nuclear Age, only the most powerful countries had the knowledge and capability to produce these weapons. Now these secrets and ingredients are no longer classified information.”

Many of the nations that pose a threat are characterized as being poor and led by dictators or autocrats. They are also, “unaligned with and resentful of Western power,” according to Mr. Keller. Some countries that have nuclear weapons are flaunting them and pose a great threat to the United Sates and our allies. Nations such as Pakistan show off their nuclear weapons in a very provocative way. In addition to Pakistan, North Korea continues to threaten the United States and other countries in the Far East with its nuclear capability.

Today over two dozen countries around the world posses weapons of mass destruction and ballistic means to deliver them. This list of countries continues to grow through the undeterred proliferation of technology, ballistic platforms and weapons of mass destruction by some of these same countries.

U.S. Congressman John N. Hostettler of Indiana’s 8th Congressional District gave a speech on the current status of the missile defense program on May 8 at a breakfast on Capitol Hill. In his speech, Congressman Hostettler discussed ‘Spiral Development of Missile Defense’ and accurately stated that the deployment of a missile defense system will benefit the safety of the United States. Congressman Hostettler also recognized the importance of grassroots support towards ensuring the U.S. deploys a missile defense system and in doing so endorsed the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, its charter and the CEO and Founder.

In other news, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed a joint memorial earlier this year that supports the creation and deployment of a missile defense system.

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