An analysis at the global, state, and local levels of the US decision to move forward with a ballistic missile defense system, with background, reactions of other countries, ideologies, and policies.
2,835 words (approx. 11.3 pages), 12 sources, 2001, $ 84.95
Abstract This paper examines the US decision to move forward with a ballistic missile defense system. The author gives a background on the history and technology of ballistic missile defense and then examines the reactions of other countries to the American missile defense decision. Also discussed are the ideological and moral support for missile defense at the state level. Finally, missile defense is analyzed as a political issue in relation to the 2000 elections and as an economic issue for defense contractors and certain parts of the country that stand to gain business from an expanded missile defense.?
From the Paper:
"On March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan began one of the most important legacies of the last stage of the Cold War with a speech outlining his Strategic Defense Initiative. The Star Wars program, as it came to be known, immediately created tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as between the US and its allies, and sparked debate over the feasibility, cost, benefits, and consequences of ballistic missile defense (BMD). This debate may not have mattered much when missile defense technology was too immature to make deployment practical or even possible. However, seventeen years later, technology has advanced to the point where the US must decide now whether it wants missile defense in the future. A decision of this magnitude, involving billions of dollars and potentially billions of lives, must be examined closely at all levels of analysis."?
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This paper examines a category of ballistic science known as terminal ballistics, the study of how a projectile penetrates solids and thus is the mechanism of incapacitation.
Abstract This paper explains that the penetration and "stopping power" of a bullet can be measured using the kinetic energy and Taylor Index equations. The paper reveals that wound ballistics is concerned with the motions and interactions of the projectile with tissue. The author believes that, through understanding of the physics behind bullet impacts and penetration, the criminologist more fully understands how different types of projectiles react when striking flesh or other resistant mediums and can lead to better a understanding of the whys and hows of a crime. Formulas included.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Physics behind the Bullet
Wound Ballistics Conclusion
From the Paper "To get the bullet in a vital area you need penetration. As a rule of thumb, velocity times sectional density is equal to relative bullet penetration. This is valid for bullets of similar composition. In good hunting bullets, expansion is consistently in the neighborhood of double the diameter and we assume the bullet will retain its weight. If the bullet goes to pieces, losing weight and consequently its sectional density, you might as well forget about it. The heavier bullet has a higher sectional density and will maintain the higher sectional density when it has expanded to double its diameter. In addition, the heavier bullets tend to have lower velocity. At lower velocity the resistance and consequently crushing force on the bullet nose, is lower, so expansion is delayed. This is why heavy bullets have delayed expansion, and do not show the same tendency to blow up on the surface as light bullets even though they have identical impact energy. It is how a given bullet interacts with tissue that determines its lethality."
Abstract The paper defines types of ballistics and goes into depth on terminal ballistics, velocity, and one-stop shots. The author discusses the effects and actions of the projectile upon impact of a target specifically the human body. What happens when a bullet strikes human flesh? Dismisses several theories in the field using FBI research.
From the Paper "The study of the firing of projectiles, their flight and how they strike a target is called ballistics. There are several categories of ballistics including internal ballistics, external or exterior ballistics and terminal ballistics. Internal ballistics is concerned with the behavior of the bullet or projectile from the moment it is fired until it leaves the gun barrel. Exterior ballistics deals with the flight of a projectile after it leaves the barrel. One major effect of the bullet's flight is the pull of gravity, which causes the bullet to immediately drop after leaving the barrel and fly on a parabolic path. Terminal ballistics however, is concerned with when the bullet hits a target and the effects produced by that bullet."
Abstract This paper discusses the concept of missile defense, ie. the idea that a defense missile can be used to shoot down an incoming ballistic missile and how the mere idea of this ability in the past threatened to add fuel to an ongoing arms race between the two then superpowers. It evaluates the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) which was a result of an attempt to add some stability to a very dangerous and unstable Cold War. This paper examines the new challenges to that treaty, challenges which have ultimately left it a remnant of the past and the reasons why President Bush choose to leave the treaty. It attempts to understand the treaty's past, its present situation and the future of American Foreign Policy without its restriction. It analyzes the history and development of missile technology over the tears and the international threat it poses.
From the Paper "To fully understand the ABM treaty, the issues of the world in which it was made must be taken into account. When Nixon came into the office of the President, the Vietnam War was coming to an end. The goals of the Nixon administration were to decrease America's extent to regional allies and to create stability in the world. The end of the Vietnam War was an example of Nixon's goal to decrease America's protection through non-nuclear assistance to regional allies. Nixon declared that America would provide a nuclear umbrella for her allies but ?The primary burden for regional and local defense would lie with the states directly concerned.? This policy was a direct result of America's domestic situation at the time."
Tags: bush, nixon, cold, war, iraq, clinton, foreign, policy
Abstract The paper is in the form of a memo that discusses the Soviet deployment of ballistic missiles in Cuba and weighs the appropriate response to this confrontation. The memo recommends an active blockade of Cuba and increased negotiation and shows the dangers inherent in a massive military assault against Cuba. The memo looks at the resources required for a blockade and considers removing U.S. missile sites from a similar strategically unimportant position in Europe. The memo explains that such a gesture would give the Soviets the false sense that they had "won" this conflict and would show the world that the US will respond forcefully when threatened by a foreign power.
Outline:
Overview of the Issue: Soviet Ballistic Missiles in Cuba
Blockade and Negotiation: An Appropriate Strategic Response
The Prevailing Options: Full-Scale Military Assault or Quarantine
Instituting a Cuban Blockade: Resources Required
From the Paper "In recent days, in October 1962, a confrontation with the Soviet Union has developed over the deployment of ballistic missiles in Cuba (Cuban missile crisis, 2000). This confrontation has the unfortunate potential to develop into a major conflict between US and Soviet forces, perhaps even to the point where thermonuclear war will be inevitable. This action on the part of the Soviets took the administration somewhat by surprise (McNamara, 2002). Nonetheless, when considered in light of the recent events surrounding the failed Bay of Pigs incursion, it almost seems inevitable that the Soviets would exploit Cuba's position and antagonism toward the United States and its interests."
Tags: Kennedy, nuclear, war, air, strike, military
Abstract This paper discusses the famous Sacco-Venzetti case, and the bigotry inherent in the court system at the time. The author presents a balanced account of the facts of the case. He/she includes remarks made by the ruling judge in order to make the case that the trial was a miscarriage of justice.
From the Paper "The United States was celebrating its victory in World War I, and a rampant anti-Communist sentiment was building within the country, culminating in the "Red Scare" of 1919 and 1920. The American government began a campaign of repression against all elements it deemed subversive to democracy- anarchists, Communists, and any other radical groups (Ehrmann 34). J. Edgar Hoover's career as director of General Intelligence in the Justice Department was begun during this time; his first test and responsibility was the case of Sacco and Vanzetti (44). Nicola Sacco, a shoe factory worker, and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, a fish peddler, were arrested, convicted, and executed in a miscarriage of justice; the actions of the state government were motivated by inherent prejudices of their heritage and political affiliations."
Abstract The paper discusses the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and examines the possibility of either the Mafia or the CIA to conspiring to kill President Kennedy. he author writes that the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, discrepancies in the Warren Report, use of different firearms and ballistic information and key things missing in autopsy photographs all suggest a cover-up.
From the Paper " On November 22, 1963, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. Seven days later on November 29, 1963, the newly sworn in President, Lyndon B. Johnson, formed a commission that would investigate the assassination. The Warren Commission, as it would later be known, was to evaluate all leads and facts surrounding both the assassination of the President and the assassination of his alleged assassin. After the investigation was complete, the information found was to be reported to the President. The Commission gave their findings to the President in the form of the Warren Report, as the chairman of the Commission was Earl Warren. President Johnson had appointed Warren, the former chief justice of the United States, to head up the Commission. The Commission was able to compile much of its information with the help of Federal agencies, the city of Dallas, and thousands upon thousands of testimonies from people associated with the case. The Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin of President Kennedy and that Jack Ruby had killed Lee Harvey Oswald."
Abstract This paper begins with a summary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The basic plot and the main characters detailed in the book are then identified and the decision-making process is analyzed. A background of the author and origins of the book are provided. A critical analysis of the book follows.
From the Paper "Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis published in 1969, is Robert Kennedy's account of the major symbol (the Cuban missile crisis) of cold war confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the year 1962, after the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the USSR increased its support of Fidel Castro's Cuban regime. In the summer of the same year, Nikita Khrushchev, who was heading the Soviet Union, secretly decided to install ballistic missiles in Cuba. In October, the U.S. reconnaissance flights revealed the clandestine construction of missile launching sites,
["U-2 had just finished a photographic mission" (Kennedy: 1971, 19)]
Which led to President Kennedy publicly denouncing the Soviet actions. He imposed a naval blockade on Cuba and declared that any missile launched from Cuba would warrant a full-scale retaliatory attack by the United States against the Soviet Union. On October 24, Russian ships carrying missiles to Cuba turned back. On October 28 Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles and dismantle the missile sites. Consequently, the United States ended its blockade on November 20, and by the end of the year the missiles and bombers were altogether removed from Cuba."
Abstract The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was a major cold war confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev decided to install ballistic missiles in Cuba although they had made a promise to the U.S. that they would not. The paper shows that when the U.S. discovered the construction of missile launching sites, President John F. Kennedy publicly denounced the Soviet actions, demanding that they remove the nuclear missiles from Cuba.
When this did not work, Kennedy imposed a naval blockade on Cuba, threatening that the U.S. Days would meet any missile launched from Cuba with a full-scale retaliatory attack later and Soviet ships carrying missiles to Cuba went home. The paper examines how Khrushchev soon agreed to dismantle the missile sites. The U.S then ended its blockade within a month, and shortly after, all missiles and bombers were removed from Cuba. The paper provides a detailed overview of this confrontation.
From the Paper "The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was the first time that the world was in danger of full-scale nuclear war. When the Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, the U.S. viewed this as an act of hostility that could not be tolerated.
However, many critics say that the Soviets were simply reacting to the Bay of Pigs invasion, in which Kennedy used Cubans against Castro without providing the American military support they needed. Americans saw this as a great embarrassment. But to the U.S.S.R., it was viewed as an American-sponsored military offensive against Cuba, which was a communist country and Soviet ally."
Tags: nuclear, war, Bay, of, Pigs, Fidel, Castro, DEFCON, 3
Abstract This paper discusses the problems of the residents of Badger, Wisconsin, who are battling to drink contaminant-free water, trying to avoid poisoned fish in Ballistics Pond, and holding their breath while old ammunition sites are burning dinitrotuluene; and yet the government continues to both push and ignore the very destruction that ails them. The author continues that the Department of Defense is spending money on additional armed submarines to continue polluting the oceans. The paper states that, if the United States government wants more money for defense, it should consider taking up effective listening in regards to what might matter to the people in the world.
From the Paper "The budget proposal mentioned becomes even more sickening when you explore what has happened in Badger further. Badger citizens cannot even drink their own water. According to The Citizens for Safe Water around Badger, "Late on Wednesday, March 3, the Army received results from monitoring wells sampled during the December 2003 round. Several monitoring wells located along the south boundary of Badger detected DNT in groundwater near the intersection of Keller Road and Highway 78 in Sumpter township. DNT levels were detected at 0.02 and 0.05 ppb (parts per billion). The safe drinking water standard for DNTs is 0.05 ppb." The detection of this cancer - causing agent in the Badger water prompted the military to hurry up and wait. Time has elapsed, dollars have been spent, and there is still no cure."
This paper discusses the case of Leonard Peltier, who has languished in prison for three decades for murder. It tries to determine if Peltier is a cold-blooded murderer or a down-trodden political prisoner.
Abstract This paper explains that Leonard Peltier is a man who is currently serving two life sentences. Peltier was convicted of the murder of two FBI agents, but has repeatedly asked for parole and been rejected. The author points out that Peltier, who is Native American, insists that his heritage, his anger, and his protest against the white American government are what have caused him to receive two life sentences. The paper concludes that had Peltier only been convicted of this Wounded Knee standoff crime, it could be conceivable that he would have a valid point when it comes to his continued detainment; but he has been convicted of other violent crimes before the murders at Wounded Knee. Therefore, he is not a political prisoner, but rather a common criminal.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Background of the Issue
Argument
Conclusion
From the Paper "The ballistics evidence presented by the government was that Peltier was the only one who was using the type of gun that fired the type of bullets located in the car of the FBI agent. Whether or not he was using that gun has come under fire many times in the past three decades. Peltier and his attorneys continue to argue that he was there, he was involved but he did not pull the trigger of the gun that murdered the two agents. While he accepts some culpability for being involved in the standoff he objects to being convicted of murder, and even more so to spending two life sentences behind bars for a murder he believes he did not commit. As the appeals process was used his attorneys pointed to other cases in which the convict was at the scene but did not pull the trigger. They insist that in those cases the convicts did not have to wait so long for a parole hearing. According to his legal team and those who support his cause, Peltier is not being held this long because he killed someone, he is being held this long to be used as an example to what will happen to others who dare to buck the system of the United States government."
Abstract This paper focuses on the history of the U.S. Space Program, the role of the people and agencies that were responsible for starting and developing the program, how the rivalry with the Soviets affected the program, the significance and benefits, if any, of space exploration, the future of the space program, and its usefulness.
From the Paper "When the Soviets successfully launched Sputnik I, the first ever artificial satellite, in orbit on October 4, 1957, the event took the Americans and the entire western world by surprise. Sputnik I was just a 2-foot sphere with nothing more than two tiny radio transmitters on it, but the symbolic significance of the event?the implication that Communist Russia had taken a significant technological lead over the United States was a massive blow to the American nation's pride. It signaled the start of the Cold War space-race between the two major super powers of the time and developed into a race for putting the first man on the moon that culminated in the historic "giant leap for mankind" on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon."
Abstract This paper describes the key players and events that led up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The paper details the posturing that went on between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the imminent danger posed to the world because of the crisis, how it was resolved and the resulting aftermath of the crisis.
From the Paper "October of 1962 brought about one of the most important conflicts of the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis. Perhaps the most studied international confrontation of the Twentieth century, the crisis was the closest that the world has ever come to a nuclear war. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union in which tensions ran high on either side as both countries struggled with intense negotiations. The missile crisis represents the one time that world leaders and the international community stared down what Kennedy speechwriter Theodore Sorenson called "the gun barrel of nuclear war," the death of history as we know it."
Abstract The writer of this paper give a detailed overview into the technical workings of specific rifles and cannons which were used during various wars in the U.S. between 1776-1918. This paper probes the effectiveness of the rifle and cannon which were driven by new innovations in metallurgy, chemistry and ballistics during the 19th century. Specific weapons and firearms reviewed in this paper include: Breechloading rifles and cannons, flintlock rifle and conoidal bullets.
From the Paper "The flintlock rifle had a slower rate of fire than the musket, but was superior in accuracy and range. The rate of fire was slowed because of the complicated loading process. Each bullet was hammered into the barrel with a mallet, adding gunpowder in a separate action. Nonetheless, it was the dominant weapon in the American Revolution, and the rifle and rifleman became common in Europe as a result."
Tags: firearms, technology, rifles, guns, cannons, war, u.s., history
Abstract The writer of this paper examines the circumstances that brought about the development of guidance system weapons in 1944. This paper also discusses in-depth the influential role satellite communication technology had and continues to have in most areas of warfare as well as the importance of global positioning systems (GPS).
From the Paper "Although the atomic bomb was a revolutionary new weapon, it played no part in World War II until the end, and cannot be said to have had a profound impact on the actual conduct of war since. The effectiveness of nuclear weaponry is so extreme that, were it to be used, the results would be incalculable loss of life and destruction that could produce a complete change in the world as we know it today. It could also be said that the significance of the atomic bomb was in the elimination of warfare among the developed countries, but that has not happened. Instead, wars have continued almost unabated in one part of the world or another since then."
