Self-fulfilling Bush prophecy????
Hmmmmmmmmmmm???
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Politics/2001-02/defence160201.shtml
Defence chief: US missile system may lead to 'doomsday scenario'
By Kim Sengupta
16 February 2001
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Charles Guthrie, warned yesterday
of a "doomsday scenario" if America presses ahead with its controversial
national missile defence system (NMD). In his last day as the head of
Britain's armed forces, General Guthrie said there was a real danger not only
of Russia turning to bellicose nationalism, but also of a rift opening
between Ameraica and its traditional allies in Europe over the "Son of Star
Wars" project. But General Guthrie said that although the NMD system was
"bloody expensive and extremely difficult to use" it was inevitable because
America was determined to have it. "What really worries me, and it would be
terrible, is a doomsday scenario," the general said. "If the Russians become
more nationalistic and the Europeans and the Americans take a different view
[on missile defence] then there would be a wedge between us. "It is extremely
important that the Americans talk to the Europeans, the Russians and the
Chinese. They have got to have a dialogue ... I don't know whether we [in
Britain] are under the umbrella, whether the Europeans will be, whether the
Russians will be." General Guthrie's views will be embarrassing to the
Tories. William Hague has said that a Tory government would back the Bush
administration over NMD and attacked Tony Blair for his "wait and see"
approach. General Guthrie's comments highlight the growing concern about NMD
among senior ranks of the military in Britain and Western Europe. It also
comes on the day it was revealed that Russia had formally warned the British
embassy in Moscow that its strike aircraft will be conducting long range
missions to the British coastline. In a display of military "muscle flexing"
not seen since the days of the Cold War, Russian jets triggered air alerts
from Norway to Japan. Their action has been interpreted as an indication of
Moscow's anger over NMD, which it maintains is in contravention of the 1972
AntiBallistic Missile Treaty.
