| Arms treaties have been around a long time. Mostly, treaties fail. Ballistic missile defenses include treaties, means to verify the treaties, and sanctions for violating those treaties. The anti-missile defense system degrades the effectiveness of an attack threat and is more psychological than physical in nature. A toothless treaty, on the other hand, is a dinner invitation for the world-class predators. Remember the Washington Naval Treaty of the Roaring Twenties? Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States all cheated, building bigger ships than permitted! That treaty failed to stop World War Two. |
