NEW DELHI -- U.S. President George W. Bush's publicly announced plan to push ahead with defenses against nuclear missiles reflects his administration's unilateral determination to assertively advance U.S. national interests and put some muscle into foreign policy. From repudiation of the Kyoto Protocol to its readiness to abrogate the 29-year-old Antiballistic Missile Treaty, the Bush team is signaling America's intent to utilize its global pre-eminence to full advantage.
Bush's presentation of an ambitious national missile-defense plan involving a triad of land, sea and air defenses should not come as a surprise. Just as Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government conducted nuclear tests in keeping with his coalition's pre-election nuclearization pledge, Bush has agreed to do what he had committed to do during the presidential campaign. But just as India's tests came as a shock to many, Bush's NMD plan has jolted and dismayed a number of foreign governments.
India's positive reaction to Bush's missile-defense plan and his call for a broad strategic rethinking of the role of nuclear deterrence does not appear impulsive and hasty, contrary to what critics say. Rather, it seems to be a product of a larger understanding or deal with the Bush team.
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