The Issue: Installing Missile Defense or a big Ear?

By now you've probably heard about the contested "missile defense shield" that's being put in the Czech Republic and Poland. The project consists of two parts.. one part will be (likely) a battery of Patriot Missiles the other part will be a "Radar station." From the get-go Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been against it and now China is joining in with the anti-installation rhetoric. President Bush responded today saying that, "The Cold War is over" implying that Putin is still riddled with Cold War skepticism. All of this has a hint of bizarreness to it that's intrigued me to think on whether there's more to it then just missiles.

When it comes to conspiracy theories I typically fall for the ones with a hint of realism. Every morning the T.V. Channel 11 always seems to have something that reeks of conspiracy, but one show particularly interested me. The argument the speaker was suggesting was that under the auspices of "missile defense" the United States has been building a global intelligence network. In other words, a big 'ole ear to listen in on every one's conversations. At first, it sounded like something out of a movie, but when Russia and now China, and of course Iran all jumped on it I've been thinking maybe the former KGB intelligence officer knows something I don't. Lets look at the plans...

The entire plan is to build two centers one with missile that is likely to be similar to these PAC-3 missiles which are stationed in Japan. As mentioned here these missiles are designed to seek out missiles with an on board tracking system and then bring them down. The second facility will be the radar system that will be built separately (and in a different region) then the missile battery. One report by NBC showed the two facilities on either side of the country. The whole plan is supposedly a joint US-NATO plan to protect Europe from offensive missiles... The clear objective is not really clear. This morning on NBC's today show, the objective was stated to protect eastern European countries from rogue terrorist missiles, however another report from Angus Reid Global Monitor states, "The idea of installing military equipment [is] to deter a potential attack from "rogue states" such as Iran or North Korea against the U.S. or its European allies. Clearly the goal of a defense shield varies, but the opposition to the shield is all but unclear. Putin, since last Tuesday, has made claims of an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) that can penetrate this shield, while also saying that such protection is unnecessary due to Russia already protecting the region. Putin has stated firmly that if the US were to continue on then they would be forced to point their arsenal towards Europe (mainly the missile facility). Why such the opposition?

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani said Sunday to the Islamic Republic News Agency yesterday, "Europe is the most important commercial partner of Iran. So, why should we ever target them?" On the reason why such claims are made, the Iranian official said one might reasonably suppose that the US is following a bigger plan and thus resorts to such propaganda to divert the public opinion away from their other objectives. What objectives might those be? From this photo you can see that the radar coverage covers most of Eastern Europe and Parts of Russia and the Middle East (Namely Turkey). What if what is being called "a radar" is really an intelligence station to listen in on conversations between Russia and Iran? Sounds crazy 'eh? Maybe not...

Why would the United States be so interested in putting a Missile Defense system there to listen in on the region? A number of reasons...

Russia, so far, has been the supplier of Uranium for Iran's Nuclear Energy Project,
Russia has been hesitant to put serious sanctions on Iran, including a call for Iran to dismantle all of their Nuclear programs.
Russia is one of the biggest critics of the War on Terror and especially the War in Iraq.
The president of Russia is a former Soviet KGB Intelligence officer and perhaps there's a belief that old habits die hard,
Finally, Democracy in both Iran and Russia have been weak. Russia has done little to fully embrace democracy and constantly touts that democracy is laborious and bureaucratic.

What would be gained by listening in on conversations between Russia and it's neighbors?

Perhaps evidence of corruption and deal making on Uranium between Russia and Iran
If such evidence existed then Russia's position in NATO and the UN would overwhelmingly compromised

My last comment/question about all of this is what (to me) doesn't add up completely here?

Why Bush's response to Putin is that "the cold war is over."
Why we should believe Administration that this is just missile defense when we know that with the freedom act, the government has been listening in to us.
Why the two stations are so far apart.. Seems to be that you would want instant notification which would be achieved if you the facility in the same place as the missiles.
Why the US Government doesn't suspend plans until after negotiations have taken place.
If the Cold War is over why is the US:

A. Building further Missile Defense systems in Europe when Euro-Iran economic relations are flourishing. As in, Iran's main target with their missile wouldn't be Europe at all so why build a defense shield?
B. Why are we spending 100 billion USD on missile defense technology?
C. Why are we concerned with North Korea? There's no way they could send a missile to Poland, not to mention why they would to begin with.