Effective missile defense can be a moral alternative to retaliation, according to Ambassador Petr Kolář of the Czech Republic. Speaking at the June 29 World Affairs Council in Anchorage, Ambassador Kolář expressed support for the missile defense shield for Eastern Europe.

The ambassador told the editors of the Vanguard that he cannot actively lobby for the U.S. Congress to move ahead with the shield. Only one legislative body has ratified the project in his own country so far, but he personally supports missile defense.

"I personally support this project very much, because it is definitely better and more human to have a deterrent like that, to have a defensive system like that, than to only have an offensive instrument to strike back if we are attacked," the ambassador said. "This system is really for deterrence."

When discussing the best response to a missile attack from Iran, he said, "It is better to kill the missile than to kill innocent people" such as the victims of a retaliatory strike. "Now, we only have the possibility to strike back. If we build this missile defense shield together, Americans and Europeans, radar in the Czech Republic and interceptors in Poland, we can afterwards say, yes, we did something for our future, for our kids, and if we are attacked, we can have a clean conscience, because we will not kill innocent people. We will only shoot down the missiles" fired at our cities.

July 1, 2009