My take....
...is that the Russian government fears it because it devalues their deterrent against the US. They would then need to rely on conventional arms. Massing conventional arms is a) expensive and b)futile due to the US's technology lead.
In short....it puts them at risk.
I understand their point...given the decades of distrust between our 2 countries.
I don't agree with the Bush agenda here. There is no reason to deploy a system at this time. He should have began discussions about modification of all missile treaties...including the ABM treaty prior to announcing any intention to deploy.
Should such a system be deployed at some point? Absolutely. As long as ballistic missiles exist, we should be able to defend against them. Remember...the Chinese can aim their missiles now thanks to Mr Clinton.
