|
Poland and the Czech Republic |
|
|
|
As well as Fylingdales and Menwith Hill in Britain, the US is seeking to build two Missile Defence military bases in eastern Europe; one in Poland and one in the Czech Republic.
The proposed base at Brdy, south of Prague in the Czech Republic would host an X-Band radar which provides high-definition tracking of missiles and warheads en route to the US whilst the proposed base at Gorsko, on Poland's Baltic coast, would house missiles - initially just 10 - which would be launched to intercept 'enemy missiles.'
 The US in still in negotiations with the governments of both countries but there is concern that European citizens and their parliaments are not being made fully aware of the consequences of such involvement in US Missile Defence. The majority of citizens in both countries are opposed to the system, with polls in the Czech Republic in particular showing a regular two-thirds of the population opposed. Civil society organisations campaigning against the bases have emerged in both countries, leading public opposition, including Ne Zakladnam (No to Bases) and the League of Mayors in the Czech Republic, and the anti-war movement Stop Wojnie in Poland.
Other European states have expressed concern that bi-lateral deals between the US and both Poland and the Czech Republic will have a negative effect on their national security. Politicians across Europe, but particularly in neighbouring states in Germany, Austria and Slovakia have expressed opposition to the US proposals. A recent European Parliament debate highlighted concerns across the political spectrum.
Russia remains resolutely opposed to the system which it believes it is the target of. Their concerns, including the possibility of a US first-strike, are highlighted in a number of academic journals, including Foreign Affairs.
NATO, a military alliance between the US, Canada and 24 European states, is considering the development of a limited theatre missile defence system to protect its troops in battle. A programme for such a system was approved in 2005. The US has suggested that the proposed extension of the US Missile Defence system in the Czech Republic and Poland could also combine components of the new NATO programme to form an integrated European missile defence system. However European concerns with US Missile Defence are heightened due to NATO member governments not being allowed to access clarified
risk assessments that NATO has been carrying out since the 1990s.
|
Campaigns 