Publication

This commentary examines the controversies that surround NATO's pending missile defense system (MDS) in Eastern Europe. The text’s authors begin by first explaining why the US agreed to the construction of a NATO system rather than an American one, and what type of commitment Germany has made to the project. Next, they examine several open questions about the MDS, including 1) the nature of the threat it is intended to deter; 2) the core objectives of the system and whether it can achieve them; 3) whether the MDS will strengthen or sap NATO’s cohesion; and 4) how Russia will ultimately react to such a technology on its doorstep.