Arms control has long been a pillar of European security and a cornerstone of post-Cold War peace in Europe. Yet its future is uncertain. Along with tentative prospects for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) regime coupled with the issue of missile defense, Washington and Moscow have each taken steps that have aggravated the other and raised concern about global strategic stability. Washington evoked a hostile response from Moscow with plans to expand its anti-missile defense system to Europe—to deploy interceptors in Poland and a radar facility in the Czech Republic. Indeed, Russia has suspended its commitments to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) that many thought to be a key factor in reassuring Moscow that an enlarged NATO would not pose a military threat. Moscow questions Washington's rationale that such systems are needed to counter a growing Iranian threat, and even some European allies, as well as critics in the United States, claim that the Iranian threat is not imminent and the proposed system not yet technologically viable. Warsaw and Prague, however, see the deployments as a way to reinforce ties to the United States and reduce doubts about the credibility of NATO defense guarantees, despite growing public doubts about these systems in both countries. Some argue that the new systems would cover much but not all of NATO territory, violating the indivisibility of alliance security—a core NATO principle. This issue has generated debate about creating a complementary NATO system that could be bolted on to the U.S. system to cover allied territory not underthe U.S. umbrella.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to attend the NATO Summit in Bucharest, and the prospect of a Bush-Putin meeting, have raised hopes that a cooperative compromise might yet be found on the missile defense issue and lead to improved U.S.-Russia and NATO-Russia relations.
How important is the CFE Treaty today? Why is it in trouble and does it matter?
Does NATO need missile defense?
What is the Iranian missile threat to Europe and the United States, and what is the best way to defend against it