American, Russian and European Ballistic Missile Defense Perception

Mgr. Jonathan G. Ziegler, B.A.

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The issue of ballistic missile defense (BMD) is not a new one, but historical factors are very important in understanding BMD policies. This work is an attempt to understand the policies and perceptions towards BMD and their reasons. To that end, it seeks to answer the question: What have been the policies and perceptions of BMD in the past 25 years in the US, Russia and Europe and how do they reflect the strategic culture of each? The work begins with an explanation of BMD, its applications, the technical questions surrounding it, deterrence, strategic culture and the issue of space-deployed weapons. It then describes US strategic culture, US BMD policy from the early 1980s up to and beyond the current administration and its plans to deploy a European based BMD. Next, the work does essentially the same for Russia, describing Russia strategic culture and tracing BMD policy from Gorbachev through Putin and speculating on Dmitry Medvedev’s possible role and policies. European strategic culture and BMD policy history is next, describing and later comparing the peace movement in West Germany to the No Bases Initiative (Ne základnám). European BMD policy is treated both as a whole by observing EU and NATO BMD policy, as well as taken on a national level in Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, and the potential deployment states of Poland and the Czech Republic. There are indications that there could be a shift in the strategic thinking of Europe due to the threat of terrorism and Muslim immigration. To conclude, this work describes the outcomes of the recent Bucharest NATO summit and Sochi meeting between Bush and Putin and concludes that cooperation between all three is possible and desirable, and perhaps the best way to ensure global cooperation is a new ABM treaty.

Keywords

ballistic missile defense, US foreign relations, Russian foreign relations, European foreign relations, NATO, ESDP, nuclear proliferation, strategic culture, Ne základnám

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 2. 5. 2008

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 3. 6. 2008
• Supervisor: PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D.
• Reader: doc. PhDr. Břetislav Dančák, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Social Studies

Master programme / field:
Political Science / European Politics (Eng.)