The Heritage Foundation - Leadership for America

Today NATO leaders issued a statement calling on all NATO members to explore ways in which planned U.S. deployment of a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, can be linked with future missile shields elsewhere in Europe. Heritage Foundation senior research fellow James Carafano comments:

Europe refuses to recognize the long war and castigates American efforts to combat global terrorism and bring peace and stability in Iraq. But NATO, at least, does continue to serve the purpose for which it was created: the mutual defense of its members. It is folly to wait until Iran has a missile that can hold NATO nations hostage before Europe has its own missile shield. Indeed building missile defense now may slow Iran’s aggression. This is what alliances are supposed to do — act in their common interest.