US President George Bush Jr. has announced his plans to go ahead with National Missile Defense thereby fuelling the arms race the world over.

National Missile Defense programme aims at destroying the missiles aimed at US destinations in the air before they hit their targets. This is a continuation of the infamous Star Wars Programme of Ronald Reagan the work on which has continued during the past administrations. Only a few months before the last elections, the then President Clinton, put it on hold after the failure of the two test firings. And now Bush Admn. has openly declared its intention to develop the missile shield.

After development of such missile shield, other countries can not hit targets inside US while US could fire missiles armed with nuclear weapons around the world. Thus through developing such a shield, America is trying to become the sole nuclear power, which could use nuclear weapons without fear of retaliation.

Through this announcement, Bush Admn. has effectively and unilaterally annulled the 1972 Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty which clearly prohibited development of any shield against missiles.

Bush Admn. is trying to project its announcement as a defensive measure, but the very aim and purpose of this programme is offensive. USA is the only country to have used atomic weapons; it treats it as its natural right to resort to military action in any region and against any country in the world. It takes it as its natural right to ‘punish’ any country which does not follow its dictates. USA has deployed its armed forces in all parts of the world. US routinely launches attack against Iraq, continues to threaten Libya, North Korea and Cuba and arbitrarily intervenes in all parts of the globe. It even dares to violate the airspace and borders of a powerful country like China. One can easily estimate the US aggressiveness after the development of missile shield.

After the disintegration of Soviet Union and the erstwhile social imperialist camp, US imperialism has lost its old excuse of intensifying the arms race. Despite restoration of capitalism in China, it is still way behind USA in terms of military power. The economic competitors Germany and Japan despite commencing the process of re-armamentation are still nowhere near USA in terms of military strength and are also allies of USA. In such an international situation, US Admn. is trying to justify its decision in the name of protecting USA from the sudden attacks from countries like North Korea which it terms as “rogue states”. This is surely an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the world people, for neither facts nor past experience shows that such small countries could launch surprise attacks against USA.

In fact the real target of the US Admn. are not small countries like North Korea, but powerful countries like Russia and China and in the long run the possible accumulation of military might by the economically powerful countries like Germany and Japan. Since the disintegration of Soviet Union, US imperialism is the sole superpower in the world and is showing its domineering attitude the world over. US imperialism is trying to convert its economically and militarily premier position in the world into its hegemony, its empire over the world.

US imperialism is acting on a long term strategy for establishing its hegemony over the world. On the one hand, it is engaged in blindly building its military power, and on the other it is trying to encircle its potential rivals even if they are its friends for the time being. It is expanding western military alliance NATO to the frontiers of Russia and it is arming Taiwan with most modern weapons against China. Disregarding international law, it is implementing its policy of “Two China” or “One China, One Taiwan”. It is increasingly sharpening its aggressiveness on the question of Tibet. US imperialism is also intervening throughout the world by fomenting and aggravating disputes between different countries.

Vajpayee Govt. adopts pro-US line

The successive Indian Govts. over the last decade have been surrendering before the US imperialists. As a part of it, military relations between India and USA have been strengthened, there are regular joint military exercises between different wings of the armed forces regularly and even FBI has been allowed to open its office in New Delhi.

Military closeness with US imperialism has been strengthened over the past three years of BJP led NDA rule. Besides attempting to open the vast Indian markets, loot cheap labour power and resources, US Admn. is working on a long term strategy of using India against China. The Indian rulers have gradually tied India to the chariot wheels of US strategy of world hegemonism. Immediately after coming to power, the then Defense Minster had publicly termed China as “the first enemy’ of India and the Indian Prime Minister had justified Pokhran nuclear explosions due to threat posed by China. The support extended by good sections of the US Admn. to the nuclear explosions by India and the growing proximity between the two despite formal “sanctions” fits with this strategic scenario.

Support to the National Missile Defense of USA by Vajpayee Govt. is a result of this surrender. While most the countries in the world have condemned announcement by Bush and even their long term allies adopted critical approach, India is among the few countries to be have welcomed the announcement and that too so promptly.

This announcement by the Indian Govt. is in accordance with the Indian ruling classes’ desire to establish regional domination under the US umbrella. In fact a section of the India ruling classes, particularly RSS-BJP, have been dreaming of becoming regional hegemonistic power under the umbrella of US imperialism.

In fact, no section of the Indian ruling classes is in a position to oppose US imperialism and it is not possible for them in the present world situation as their attitudes are shaped by the state of contradictions among the imperialist powers. But all of them do not have the same approach towards surrender before the US imperialism. BJP-RSS lead the pack in this regard. The support of the Indian Govt. to the National Missile Defense of US signifies growing shamelessness in surrendering before US imperialism.

The support extended by Vajpayee Govt. is against the interests of the country. While India is not going to gain anything in terms of protection from the missile shield, the resultant arms race will have a direct bearing on our country. India and its neighbours will surely be affected by the development of the Missile Shield. Thus rather than combating growing poverty, starvation and joblessness, precious resources will be throwing into the arms race. And that is not reckoning with the possibility that US aggressiveness after the NMD will also target India if the establishment here was to ‘misbehave’ according to US prescription.

The announcement by Vajpayee Govt. is an open admission of the change in the foreign policy of the Govt. The Indian Govt. has formally abandoned its advocacy of world peace and non-alignment and has openly endorsed being part of the US strategy. Apologists of such a course have long been admirers of the “benefits” supposedly having accrued to Pakistan due to proximity to USA. They should see the present state of affairs there which are a direct result of their rulers doing the bidding of US imperialism.

It is significant that RSS and its front organizations which have been making a show of their superficial and symbolic opposition to the surrender of Vajpayee Govt. before imperialism, are silently supporting it. They are trying to hide their surrender before the US imperialists under the cover of some street shows and superficial opposition.