Word: program
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2000
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Steven Spielberg - was represented by his ever-popular "Star Wars Theme," though it was unclear if it had been selected for its subtle call to arms for the impending battle against the evil empire of liberalism or because it was perceived to be a campaign tune promoting the SDI program...
...North Korea has lately been sending signals that it might not cooperate with that prediction. During his July 19 visit to Pyongyang, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced that strongman Kim Jong Il had told him North Korea would shelve its intercontinental ballistic missile program if other countries would launch several of its satellites at their expense. Washington was skeptical. Was Kim making the offer? Or was this an offer Putin hoped he would make so Moscow could derail the U.S. missile defense plan, which it opposes...
...week later, Russian officials revealed that they have a letter they say Kim gave Putin during his July 19 visit, which reaffirms Pyongyang's offer to halt its intercontinental ballistic missile program. That pricked up ears in the State Department, which is now probing North Korean diplomatic contacts to find out just what the "Dear Leader" has in mind...
...trying to hatch a deal similar to the one he negotiated with the U.S., Japan and South Korea that mothballed his nuclear weapons program in exchange for oil shipments and civilian nuclear reactors. If so, it might slow the U.S. rush to deploy missile defenses, at least for now. Why erect a shield if the country you're worried about isn't building the missiles? Launching North Korea's commercial satellites would be expensive, but not nearly as much as the $60 billion missile defenses could cost...
...place," as one senior aide put it. And, they argue, a missile shield is still needed to protect against other rogue states like Iraq and Iran that are itching to deploy ICBMs. But it may be a decade before those countries are a threat. If North Korea abandons its program, billions wouldn't have to be spent for a shield so soon, and free launch services may prove a small price...