A missile defence system for the Czech Republic?

In a guest commentary Jiri Dienstbier, a former dissident and Czechoslovakia's first foreign minister after the fall of the Iron Curtain, explains why he opposes the construction of a US missile defence base in the Czech Republic. "In an already unstable world we shouldn't let ourselves relapse into an arms race," Dienstbier comments and points out that Russia could be alarmed by the establishment of a US military base in the Czech Republic. "Do we really expect an attack from the powerful world of Islamic fundamentalism, which might decide to wage a 'war of civilisations' against the 'devils' of the West? Anything is possible, but it will be dozens of years before such a scenario is really feasible. It will be difficult to convince the Czech nation that we of all people should participate in the missile defence system project – without considering our allies within NATO and the EU. The Czech Republic has military obligations to NATO, not the US. As a NATO member, we cannot set the seal on such an important decision in a bilateral agreement with another member state – even if that state is the most powerful member."

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