Vol. 73/No. 38      October 5, 2009

Their current goal is to deploy a system primarily designed to counter short- and medium-range missiles that they claim could be fired by Iran toward Europe.

Iran and North Korea are Washington’s immediate targets because their governments have the economic, engineering, and technical capacities to someday place weapons—including nuclear warheads—on ballistic missiles whose range could at least prevent Washington from attacking those countries with impunity.

The U.S. rulers claim they’re developing an antiballistic missile system for “defense” against “rogue” nations. However, the real aim is to give Washington a first-strike nuclear capacity, enabling the U.S. rulers to use these weapons unchecked and blackmail any nation not willing to go along with their policies.

We must never forget that the wealthy rulers of the United States, who possess thousands of nuclear warheads, didn’t hesitate to use nuclear bombs against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, incinerating hundreds of thousands in 1945. This is only time nuclear weapons have ever been used.

The ongoing development of Washington’s antiballistic missile weapons system also occupies a central place in its political offensive to shift the balance of forces against its imperialist rivals as well as vis-à-vis Russia and China.

The Russian and U.S. governments have also resumed nuclear “disarmament” talks. But these talks have nothing to do with ending Washington’s course toward advancing its nuclear weapons capacity. The only way to end Washington’s wars and nuclear threats is for working people to take political power out of the hands of the capitalist rulers.
 
 
Related articles:
U.S. generals seek to shore up Afghan war
Imperialist armies seen as occupiers
U.S. shift on missile ‘shield’ aims at Iran
Washington conducts strike against Islamists in Somalia  
 
 
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