I would like to express my strong support, and great admiration, for the two brave Czech humanists, Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar, who have initiated a hunger strike in protest against the plans to extend the US "missile defense" system to the Czech Republic, over the objections of the large majority of the population.  I place the words "missile defense" in quotes because it is understood by strategic analysts on all sides that "missile defense," if at all feasible, is an offensive weapon.  In the words of the major Pentagon-affiliated research agency, the Rand Corporation, it is "not simply a shield but an enabler of U.S. action." Endorsing a common understanding, the prominent strategic analyst Lawrence Kaplan writes that "missile defense is about preserving America's ability to wield power abroad.  It's not about defense.  It's about offense.  And that's exactly why we need it." It is also understood by US analysts that if the system is emplaced in Eastern Europe, it is a potentially serious threat to the Russian deterrent, so that Russia will react, as it already has begun to do, by expanding its own offensive military capacity.  These perfectly predictable developments significantly increase the threat of terminal nuclear war.  For such reasons, the honorable and courageous actions of Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar will, I hope, encourage others to ensure that a referendum is held and that these very threatening developments will be terminated.

N. Chomsky


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