What 21st-century leader would risk his nation's survival on a risky surprise attack? Any nation that wanted to launch a Pearl Harbor-style attack on U.S. space assets would first have to conduct many tests in space. U.S. observation satellites and ground stations would detect those tests. Does anyone really believe that United States, even if an Adlai Stevensonstyle president were in the White House, would fail to respond vigorously to such a provocation? The United States does not lack for enemies. But just as tigers do not attack a healthy bull elephant, it is difficult to imagine that any nation would directly challenge the United States in space. Could a hostile country secretly mount a covert program capable of taking out a few U.S. military and surveillance satellites? Possibly. Could such an enemy secretly develop the capability to eliminate enough U.S. satellites to tip the balance of power radically in a surprise attack? Not likely. The question proposes a suicidal scenario as unreal as anything the bolt-from-the-blue crowd dreamed up during the Cold War.

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Moore, Mike. "A New Cold War?." SAIS Review. XXVI, No. 1 (Winter-Spring 2006): 175-188. [ 7 quotes ] [ page 184 ]