At the meeting of the NATO foreign ministers in the Hungarian capital Budapest on May 29, the United States and Europe could not reach an agreement over the controversial national missile defense (NMD) plan proposed by the administration of the U.S. President George W. Bush.

Most political analysts believe that the U.S.-Europe disagreement over the NMD is due to their different views on the motives behind the implementation of this plan. The U.S. is out to impose its military superiority on the world following the collapse of the former Soviet Union through its missile defense shield. But Europe is not willing to accept the idea of a unipolar world promoted by Washington.

Furthermore, Russia is also opposed to the NMD plan, since Moscow sees the plan as tilting the strategic balance of power in the world in favor of Washington and undermining Russia's deterrent power. This is why Russian officials have warned that the NMD plan will spark off a new arms race between Russia and the United States.

The fact is that if a new arms race begins between Moscow and Washington, Europe will be the major scene of this rivalry. For this reason, the United States has not so far been able to convince its European allies of the necessity of its missile defense shield.

From the European viewpoint, the threats claimed by the United States to be targeting its security are not real. Besides, the European leaders argue that in the post-Cold War era, the world is more in need of disarmament and peace-seeking efforts.

Following the U.S. failure to attract the support of its European allies for its NMD plan, the U.S. Secretary of State General Colin Powell on May 29 told the NATO foreign ministers in Budapest that Washington will not establish its missile defense shield without consulting with its European allies and Russia.

This was a clear U.S. withdrawal from its previous stance. At the same time, some analysts believe that the remarks by the U.S. secretary state to the effect that Washington needs some time to convince its European allies indicate that the United States is determined to go ahead with its plan. However, these remarks also indicate the extent of the European opposition to the NMD plan.

In another development, the U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in a speech on the occasion of Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in the Washington area on May 28, called on the U.S. citizens to be prepared for a war and not be lulled by the sense of security in the post-Cold War era.

Quoting former British prime minister Winston Churchill as saying that "war is too foolish to be considered in 20th century", Rumsfeld warned that the Americans should not repeat the mistakes of their past generation.

The U.S. defense secretary said that the American citizens should not be deceived or misled by statements such as "there will be no more wars in the future" or "the international law, military pacts, free trade, globalization or common sense have made the outbreak of wars impossible."

He stressed that the U.S. Army should be prepared to scare and overcome those whom he described as "enemies of freedom".

Rumsfeld's remarks are shocking to the world, as they clearly highlight Washington's militarism in the 21st century and indicate that the U.S. administration, despite its slogans, is run by some warmongers.

Thus, it seems that what threatens world security are not the false threats claimed by the United States which are rejected by other countries, including Washington's closest allies, but the real danger threatening world peace in the eyes of the world public is Washington's militaristic attitude, which is evident from its insistence on its NMD plan.