The election of Barack Obama as US President opens new opportunities for those campaigning against US Missile Defence.

He has not declared he will close the programme but Obama has made a range of statements sceptical of the system, saying in February, "I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space."

Russia's latest response to the proposed US Missile Defence installations in eastern Europe is to deploy short-range Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad region, close to Poland.

In his acceptance speech last night Obama said he would "promote the cause of peace." If he is to do so, then one area – of the many – where he can begin rejecting George W. Bush's military agenda is to stop the development of US Missile Defence.

See the news on the CND website at http://www.cnduk.org

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NEW OPINION POLL SHOWS BRITISH PUBLIC CONCERN WITH US MISSILE DEFENCE

At the same time, a new opinion poll shows that the public increasingly sees the system as creating a threat to UK and European security.

61% of those polled said they agreed that the siting of US missiles and early warning bases in Europe, as part of the US Missile Defence system, is increasing tension between the US and Russia and, as a result, is increasing the threat to British and European security. Only 17% disagreed.

Matthew Taylor writes on the Guardian website at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/nov/04/defence

See the opinion poll results and Labour MP's statement at
http://www.cnduk.org/index.php/campaigns/missile-defence/us-missile-defence-poll.html

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BRITISH MPS WELCOME OPPOSITION TO US MISSILE DEFENCE FROM SISTER PARTIES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND POLAND

The British government is facing a renewed call for a debate and decision in Parliament on British involvement in US Missile Defence.

Over 50 Labour MPs have signed a statement welcoming the opposition to US Missile Defence of their sister parties in Poland and the Czech Republic and calling for the debate in Britain to be reopened.

Labour's Czech sister party, the Social Democrats, has won convincing victories over the governing Civic Democrats two weekends in a row, helped by its strong campaign against the proposed US Missile Defence radar south of Prague.

See the Labour MP's statement and opinion poll at
http://www.cnduk.org/index.php/campaigns/missile-defence/us-missile-defence-poll.html

Compass article "The future of the US Missile Defence system is now up for discussion" :
http://www.compassonline.org.uk/news/item.asp?n=3344