The Strategic Importance of Missile Defence

US plans to deploy strategic missile defence components in Poland and the Czech Republic are meeting with criticism not only in Russia but also within NATO and in Germany. The objects of this criticism are not only Russia’s warnings against a new arms race but also the possible impact of the plans on the negotiations about Iran’s nuclear programme. The latter argument was usually fielded in the political discourse to demonstrate the discrepancy between setting up a missile defence system and the policy of disarmament.