A Pyrrhic Victory in Space?

摘要

The U.S. Navy's successful shootdown of a failed U.S. spy satellite Feb. 20 is being hailed as a stunning success. Certainly, in the short term, it looks like a win for both U.S. President George W. Bush's administration and the Pentagon. The Bush administration got to: claim credit for acting boldly to stave off any danger to the public and thus perhaps erase some of the lingering stain from the Katri-na disaster; bolster its arguments in support of a robust U.S. missile defense program; and re-demonstrate U.S. anti-satellite (A-Sat) capabilities as a reply to Beijing's test of such a weapon in January 2007-and do so in such a manner that leaves litde room for direct criticism.