In the third part of a series on development of a national missile defense system, NPR's Mike Shuster examines the effect such a system could have on U.S. relations with Russia and China. Both of those countries have objected to the deployment of any U.S. missile defense system, saying it would reduce their own nuclear deterrence. The Clinton administration says missile defense is intended to protect the United States against potential attacks from countries such as North Korea and Iraq, not China and Russia.
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