The recent history of the conversation with Russia over plans for
European missile defense has been one of repeated and unsuccessful
attempts to allay strongly worded Russian concerns. None of these
attempts has mitigated Russia's trenchant opposition to U.S. plans. At
times, this opposition can appear based on grounds which are spurious or
incomprehensible. In this monograph, Mr. Keir Giles, a British academic
and long-term scholar of Russia, examines the history of missile
defense, and the current dialogue, from a Russian perspective in order
to explain the root causes of Russian alarm. He presents specific
recommendations for managing the Russia relationship in the context of
missile defense. Important conclusions are also drawn for the purpose of
managing the dialogue over missile defense plans not only with Russia as
an opponent, but also with European North Atlantic Treaty Organization
allies as partners and hosts.