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Capt

I am not going to get into the whole NZ Nuclear Free debate, but would just like to say that NZ never stepped off the firing line by saying we didn't want Nukes in our country. After all it is our country and isn't it our right to make that decision whether it is right or wrong? And who decides it is right or wrong, the USA?

No matter what our stance was on the Nuclear issue, and I really don't think it made that much difference apart the US government being pissed that we didn't toe the line, we have always, and will continue to do our part no matter.

It is, indeed, your country. And it is your decision, right or wrong. Personally, I think it was wrong, and you may have difficulty convincing someone who lives in the most targeted city in the world, that it is a "courageous" decision. I think I spelled out why I feel that way, and I will not insult your inteligence by repeating myself. If you were not convinced the first time, repitition will not convince you; it will merely annoy you. That is not my goal. I merely wished to point out that treaties are contracts, and if you fail to live up to your obligations under one, you can not blame the other guy for considering the treaty broken.
It is a fact of national life that we have to make those kinds of decisions, sometimes. The US never ratified (and is therefore not legally bound by) the ABM treaty, but we have acted within it's constraints so long that we can be considered to have accepted it "unnofficially". If we now decide that our interests are no longer served by it, and violate it by deploying an anti-missile system, can we blame the Russians for "casting us out"? It is our right, and it is our decision. But it is also our responsibilty. If we deploy an anti-missile system, WE WILL have violated the ABM treaty. There is no shifting of blame possible.

On an amusing note: Have you noticed the perspective shift?
When the US decides to act unilaterally against the wishes of it allies, it's "arrogant". When you do it, it's "courageous". Hehe. I love watching how perspectives change as you move around the world. Europeans call Americans "crude, vulgar, and arrogant". While we find their assumption of automatic (and as far as anyone can tell - completely unfounded) superiority and condecension, enfuriatingly rude and arrogant.
But...You know what? Only from a distance.
When Europeans visit over here they almost always go back talking about how friendly, open, and generous their American friends were. And when Americans visit Europe (assuming they get outside Paris) they are universally impressed by the genuine warmth, hospitality, and friendliness, of all the people they meet.

I love perspective.