US Withdrawal from the ABM, An Unwise Move: Commentary

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 21, 2001

US Withdrawal from the ABM, An Unwise Move: Commentary

December 13 saw President Bush formally declared US withdrawal from the ABM, a move unprecedented in US history backing US betrayal of a most important treaty for international arms control. Unilateral ABM withdrawal by the US will make possible without doubt other similar destructive bilateral actions undermining and scrapping international treaties for arms control.

December 13 saw President Bush formally declared US withdrawal from the ABM, a move unprecedented in US history backing US betrayal of a most important treaty for international arms control. Its grave adverse impacts will surely gradually be felt on the course of international disarmament and future international security setup.

Back in 1972, the US on its initiative had ABM signed with the former Soviet Union for "an opposite nuclear deterrent balance" and a NMD system to be developed by neither side. It goes without saying ABM with altogether 32 treaties involving international disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation has served as a cornerstone anchoring world stability.

Unilateral ABM withdrawal by the US will make possible without doubt other similar destructive bilateral actions undermining and scrapping international treaties for arms control. Since the US unilaterally moves to undermine international strategic stability efforts will naturally be made by some others to take on unilateral nuclear armament development plans for development of new armaments.

As things stand in today's world, Men have just been in the new century: Peace and development form the thematic topic and trend of the world. The US backing out from its former ABM stand obviously runs counter to this trend.

Why comes ABM pullout by the US? Nothing is voiced but for a free hand on the part of the US to develop its NMD system and unchallenged "supremacy by only superpower" and a unilateral world order under the sway of the US. Some dozens of years back saw the former Soviet Union with its nuclear arms being hotly developed on a par with the US. To place limits on its adversary's nuclear buildup the US called for an ABM to be signed.

But by now when ABM becomes an obstacle as it has long been regarded by the US heading for its NMD advancement this superpower naturally has to leave no stone unturned to annul the treaty to which it has put its signature. This shows how things had or have been with US policy makers past and present: Since ABM had been signed it has to be scrapped by now and this absolutely depends on the unilateral egoistic interests of the US. What the US does shows that a country like the US that cares not for a whiff the interests of other peoples or countries, all but US unilateralism and pragmatism decides.

Bush's US pullout from the ABM has met no less bombast from people throughout the world. No little objections and criticisms have also been made of Bush's unwise move in the UN and among the UN member countries like Russia, China and many other developing countries and some of US allies.

This has also made no exception with many leaders of the Democratic Party for they fear that it would spark new greater arms race throughout the world. When talking about US own security, since the "September 11" attacks, what the American people care for is just about how future terrorist attacks are to be prevented as a matter of fact.

Bush's bigotry to pull out from ABM for developing NMD will literally mean not only a drain of money on taxpayers' purse and a swelling of those of arms dealers in the US but will also bring about inestimable negative impacts on the world order in the future.

By People's Daily Online

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