The history of the United States "national missile defence system" in the Czech Republic (and in Europe)

A history of unending lies, manipulation and secrecy

Scott Ritter, ex-chief weapons inspector for the United Nations, and US marines officer during the first Gulf war (video)

The 1980s

The stability of international politics was assured by various agreements and above all, by the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) of 1970, and by the ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) treaty of 1972.During the 1980s, the US project for a “stellar shield” was aimed at destabilising a situation that was already very dangerous. Fortunately an agreement was reached: Gorbachev and Reagan sign an historic agreement – the INF Treaty (intermediate range nuclear missile treaty) – which led to an important reduction in nuclear arsenals, and marked the beginning of the end of the cold war.

The 1990s

During the 1990s, the United States resumed the same project again despite criticism throughout the world. It proposed enlarging NATO to include the ex-socialist countries of Eastern Europe. However, the United States had obviously a plan ready: otherwise a journalist from the “New York Times” in October 1996 would not have asked Bill Clinton, then President of the USA “Does this mean you are ready to extend the U.S. nuclear protection umbrella to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic?“  NYT, 6.10.1996, question 4.

Opposition to the American project became stronger and stronger. On 3rd December 1999, Jacques Chirac, then President of France, declared: “We must avoid any questioning of the ABM treaty that could lead to disruption of strategic equilibria and a new nuclear arms race.“ NYT, 3.12.1999). In  2000  the Prime Minister of Greenland,  Jonathan Motzfeldt, declared: “No one in Greenland wishes to take actions that would lead to recreating the atmosphere of the cold war era, I am content that NATO has not greeted the N.M.D. plans with cheers.“ (NYT, 18.9.2000)

After the failure of two tests, and above all, after seeing large-scale resistance, even from the closest European allies, Clinton gave up this project in 2000. Vice-President Al Gore commented:  “As President, I would oppose the kinds of missile defence systems that would unnecessarily upset strategic stability and threaten to open the gates for a renewed arms race with Russia and a new arms race with China” (NYT, 2.9.2000) But then things changed quickly.

In 2002, President Bush withdrew unilaterally from the ABM treaty, which would have assured a certain international stability for decades. In great secrecy, negotiations with Poland and the Czech Republic began, in order to create the so-called “stellar shield”. It was clear to the European Parliament that the United States wanted to divide and weaken Europe by using those politically weakest states “naturally” hostile to Russia.  Chirac, the French President, affirmed: “We should be very careful about encouraging the creation of new dividing lines in Europe or the return of an old order.” (NYT, 15.4.2007)

Russia, China and other European countries criticised President Bush’s policies and in 2005, Canada officially refused to contribute to the US plan. “Prime Minister Paul Martin formally announced that Canada would not contribute to a continental missile defence system that the Bush administration wants to build. ''Ballistic defence is not where we will concentrate our efforts,'' he said, adding that Canada would concentrate its security resources on border, coastal and Arctic security, intelligence, and expanding the armed forces”. (NYT, 25.2.2005)

In August 2006, thanks above all to the birth of the NeZakladnam popular initiative, Czech citizens discovered that unbeknown to them, foreign troops were to occupy their country again. Perhaps, without this movement, the Czechs would have stayed in the dark regarding this plan.This was only the beginning of a long series of lies and hidden activitiesThe Czech government declared that the project was within NATO, even though many NATO member states even today are against it.  "The missile defence system planned by the United States and which is to be installed in Eastern Europe is politically extremely dangerous” declared Gerhard Schroeder, the ex-German Chancellor. (Herald Tribune, 11.3.2007)

It has been claimed that not to accept this plan is to divide Europe; but we have seen that this project has already divided Europe. The Czech government has tried to minimise the issues, insisting that only a small base is involved. But in reality, this concerns a complex plan which involves the future of the entire world, in which the Czech Republic will have a fundamental role. It has also been said that control of the base will be in the hands of the Czech government, but we know very well that the governments of host countries have no control over the US bases present on their territory.  (As the well-informed Chalmers Johnson has said: "(There is) a grand strategy aimed at preserving or even increasing American power... This becomes clear when we turn our attention to some of the secret activities throughout the world... which the Pentagon is perfectly aware of, but concerning which, other organs of the government, and the population, are completely in the dark“ ( from a document of the Italian Senate: “American Military Bases: a history of crimes and abuses).

Opposition remains strong, and the polls show clearly that 2/3 of the Czech population are against the installation of the radar. Meanwhile, a cobbled-together government has been formed, which obtained a minimal majority thanks to two social-democrats who mysteriously changed parties, as well as the favourable policies of the Czech Green Party towards the American bases. They have been strongly criticised for this not just within the ranks of the party, but also by the Greens in other European countries. “I am completely and utterly opposed to a new military base in the Czech Republic (or anywhere else, including the UK) as part of the US Missile Defence system“.  Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for South East England.

In February 2007, the Czech government began official talks with the United States, well knowing that the majority of the population was contrary, and over 70% would like the decision to be made by means of a referendum: reclaiming a principle of DEMOCRACY: from the Greek words: “demos" (people) and "kratos" (power); that is, the power of the people.On 26 May 2007 the NeZakladnam initiative organised a national demonstration in Prague, with the participation of 5,000 people of all ages and social origins, from different organisations.  For the organisers, it was a success, as it showed that the people did not only disagree, but were also prepared to show this. But the Czech mass media described a procession of a few hundred people: above all, communists and pensioners.Video of the demonstration »

On 20th October, an international meeting took place at Breznice, with 80 mayors from the Czech Republic present. A message of solidarity was sent by London’s mayor: Ken Livingstone, and the Mayor of Hiroshima: Tadatoshi Akiba, sent a video message. 50 European and American organisations were present, and also the representatives of 13 European Humanist Parties. All agreed on the fact that the  installations in the Czech Republic and Poland will increase already strong international tensions, and will lead to a new and uncontrolled nuclear arms race, with the possibility of  setting off down a road with no return. VIDEO AKIBAIn many countries, there were demonstrations in front of Czech embassies and consulates, but the people were not adequately informed of this initiative.Video of the mayor of Hiroshima: Tadatoshi Akiba »
Greetings from the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.On 17 November: the anniversary of the “Velvet Revolution”, which overthrew the communist regime without violence, another demonstration was held in St. Wenceslas Square in Prague, in which 5,000 people participated, with the support of trade unions, artists, intellectuals and politicians.  But as we understood under the old regime, the government seeks to gag all opposition. The following day, the news was as follows…..

The mass media did not report the meeting between Jan Tamas, the secretary of the Czech Humanist Party and spokesperson for NeZakladnam, and ex-Prime Minister Zeman, who declared himself to be strongly against the installation of the radar system. The same day, the national television channel claimed that the opponents of the radar were paid by the Russians. A parliamentary commission denied this, but Czech citizens were not even informed of this. 

Manipulation and lies have been practices that have also been used in other fields. Already during the war in ex-Yugoslavia the USA had begun to use shells containing depleted uranium without informing its allies. A NATO spokesperson, General Giuseppe Marani declared that "anti-tank shells containing depleted uranium have been used by allied pilots against Serb forces in Kosovo", and added that these shells "did not entail any risk". Bulgaria-Italia.com, 3.5.1999  Instead, thousands of Italian soldiers became ill, and hundreds have since died from the effects of depleted uranium. It has been discovered that the USA has used them, and is using them, in Kosovo, Iraq, Lebanon, and probably, in Afghanistan. In these countries, genetic deformations are rapidly increasing.Video » On 1st November 2007, at the UN General Assembly, a proposal for research into depleted uranium was passed, having seen its dangerous nature. A hundred and twenty two states voted in favour, with only six against: the Czech Republic, Israel, France, Holland, the United Kingdom and the USA (OSN, 1.11.2007)

It has been claimed for years that the stellar shield was basically designed as a protection from missiles that could be launched from Iran. Official pages of the Missile Defence Agency. Scott Ritter, the ex-chief weapons inspector of the United Nations, and ex-US marines officer, said: “We have seen that in Iraq there are no weapons of mass destruction.” But immediately afterwards, the United States began the war against Iraq. He added that the situation in Iran could follow the same path and the United States could set off another war even if there is no proof of any nuclear threat from Iran. On June 12th, 2007, Victoria Samson, an American analyst from the Center for Defense Information, declared in a speech at the European Parliament:  “What is truly galling is that this missile defence experiment by the United States is strictly that: un unknown, untested, brand-new system, which is supposed to defend against a theoretical and frankly inexplicable Iranian missile threat that also does not exist.”  Anti-missile defense, page. 2)According to a study by 16 American intelligence agencies, Iran had already ceased to work on the production of nuclear arms in 2003. (National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) - Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities.  

It’s obvious that this defence system cannot serve to protect us from Iran or North Korea, and isn’t even useful against Russian or Chinese missiles. Official declaration of the MDA. International military experts confirm that this defence system is totally useless against the thousands of nuclear warheads available to Russia. According to a widely held theory, the real intention of the United States is to militarise and conquer space; and in this way to obtain complete control over this planet. This was the fundamental reason why in 2005, Canada refused to collaborate with the USA, after understanding that this did not involve a system of defence, but a system of attack. (Space4peace.org)

Another point of view shared by many is that any defence system is easily penetrable, and even if it were really effective, enemy powers could build missiles capable of “puncturing” it in a few years. In this way, further improvements in this defence system would be necessary, leading to an endless spiral in which the only ones to gain would be the companies producing armaments. As Massimo Zucchetti, a nuclear physicist at the Polytechnic of Turin has said : “The ultimate weapon doesn’t exist. After a while the ultimate weapon becomes the penultimate one. Somehow a way is always found to spend the huge resources dedicated to the soldiers, researchers and scientists of the military”. (Buone Nuove, 26.10.2006) But let’s look more clearly at what’s happening On 13 June 2000, the New York Times wrote:  “Over the last decade, the arms industry has spent $49 million in campaign contributions to Washington politicians and an additional $2 million in a more subtle and indirect campaign that they say has helped create an atmosphere in which the pressure to build an antimissile system weights heavily on both parties.“ (NYT, 13.6.2000) This means that the arms industry have heavily financed the political parties, and not only these: the largest sums of money have been destined for study centres and non-profit organisations, which have the job of producing  pseudo-scientific documents which can convince the politicians and public opinion of the necessity of constructing a defence system.  “Leading the charge for missile defence is the Center for Security Policy. Dedicated to having an antimissile system built, the centre has at least eight industry representatives on its board -- six from Lockheed Martin alone -- and issues a steady stream of position papers and sponsors numerous seminars for Washington decision makers.“ (NYT, 13.6.2000)The corporations directly interested in the construction of the stellar shield are: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. (PeaceLink.it) For further information contact: CounterPunch.org  

The Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman corporations are all customers of  the agency AMI Communications, which has been entrusted by the Czech government, in a scarcely transparent manner, with the job of informing the population on the installation of the radar. The objective of this agency is not to give objective and exhaustive information, but to convince the population of the advantages of the “offer” made by its clients.Both AMI Communications and Dutko have links with the party of the right which is at present in power in the Czech Republic. Besides, the Managing Director of Dutko Worldwide in the Czech Republic last year was Alexandr Vondra, who as a Minister has participated in the decision to give the commission to the AMI corporation. (Greenpeace, Zvědavec.org)

Meanwhile, some other European countries are directly involved in the American projects, for example Poland, where the interceptor missiles would have to be based and the United Kingdom, where the government is in full agreement with this defence system, even if the population is against it. While officially declaring that Nato and the European Union should speak out about such an important project, on February 2007 Italy signs a secret agreement with the U.S.: within the program of the so-called “Star shield”, new military bases will be built in Italy and the existing ones will be enlarged. But the whole of Europe is involved in it too, and various Governments have left the people in the dark about the important decisions made above their heads.
On the other hand, Russia, after the negative response of the U.S. to its request of suspend this plan, has started to produce new  nuclear weapons capable of puncturing the American space shield. In the Europe for peace campaign declaration, Giorgio Schultze says: “Europe must not support any policy that drags the planet towards catastrophe.”
Chomsky and Gorbachev wrote in 2007, when joining this campaign:“It is important to remain vigilant and actively resist any plans of making Europe once again hostage to the fear and prejudice characteristic of the Cold War.”
“Europe is uniquely well-placed to undertake the historic mission of saving the human race from self-destruction.”

In the immediate future we may expect that the giant American corporations will give large orders to companies in the Czech Republic and in other European countries. Thanks to the pressure from these corporations, it is probable that NATO will approve this project for a defence system. Paid by these companies, opinion-makers, politicians and experts will appear on television to explain the benefits of having American bases on one’s own territory, and the benefits of humanitarian wars......and anyone who is opposed will disappear mysteriously from the scene. The possible approval of NATO will be used almost as if it were a magic formula to convince people of the usefulness of the “stellar shield“ – including even those who are at present in doubt.

Is it possible to change the future?

The Argentine thinker Mario Rodriguez Cobos, known as Silo, inspiration for active non-violence, says: “Whether everything ends up in chaos, and civilization starts anew, or we begin a stage of progressive humanization, does not depend on inexorable mechanical designs, but on the intentions of individuals and peoples, on their commitment to changing the world…”.

In December 2007, the Humanist Movement, which has already, with other organisations, given birth to a protest movement against the American bases in the Czech Republic, declared that Czech citizens have tried everything: a petition with more than 200.000 signatures, discussions, conferences with the participation of  well-known figures from the scientific and artistic worlds, demonstrations and dialogue with politicians...... yet the Government is completely ignoring the opinion of the majority of citizens. Therefore we have decided to use a new form of struggle: the boycott. We are proposing to put pressure on the United States government by means of American corporations: don’t buy American goods.Nonviolent protest has had positive victories over its long history: the best known are the movements of Gandhi and M. L. King. These movements showed that nonviolent struggle is an actual possibility to change the violent plans of our enemies. Nonviolence brought India independence from the cruel British colonial regime, and brought civil rights to black Americans. Now it’s down to us to make these examples continue: let’s show the Czech and US Governments the power of nonviolence.

This new unscrupulous arms race doesn’t involve only the Czech Republic, but the whole of Europe, and the whole world. Support our nonviolent movement! The failure of the American project in the Czech Republic could represent a big victory for democracy, and would be an important signal for détente throughout the world: a victory for David against Goliath!The future can still be changed!

Pass the word on!

Sign the on-line petition

www.nonviolence.cz