Obama and Russians Strike Tentative Deal to Reduce Nuclear Weapons
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) expires December 5, 2009. This treaty has reduced US and Russian nuclear arsenals by approximately 40% since the end of the Cold War. This week, US President Obama and Russian President Medvedev are meeting in Moscow to negotiate a treaty to succeed START. Today, the two presidents announced a preliminary agreement “to reduce the world’s two largest nuclear stockpiles by as much as a third, down to the lowest levels of any U.S.-Russia accord”. President Obama also hopes the summit will “reset U.S.-Russian relations so that we can cooperate more effectively in areas of common interest.”
President Obama seems to understand that if the US expects Iran and North Korea to give up their intentions to develop nuclear weapons, we can’t act as hypocrites hoarding our own nuclear arsenal. Russia and the United States currently own “90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons“. In addition, Obama recognizes the need for Russian support on this front; however, Russia is opposed to the US plan to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. President Obama told reporters it is “entirely legitimate for our discussions to talk not only about offensive weapon systems, but also defensive weapon systems”. Obama has stated the missile defense system designed to block Iranian missiles, not Russian, and refuses to compromise.
The new treaty would limit each country to between 1500 and 1,675 nuclear warheads. The US Senate would need to ratify a new treaty with the Russian. According to True Majority, that’s enough nukes to “blow up every major city on the planet but 73 percent fewer than we have today”.
Like much of the world and despite Obama’s presidency, most Russians believe the US “abuses it power and makes Russia do what the U.S. wants”. Only 15 percent of Russians think the US provides a positive role model for the world. Perhaps reducing the nuclear arsenal will demonstrate Obama’s commitment to nonproliferation, if he can win the support of the Senate. Obama is the “first US president to ever campaign publicly for complete nuclear disarmament“.
Image of Nagasaki from Hiroshima Remembered
Sadly for us, it appears that Obama’s poker skills are in the same league with his bowling and girly-style baseball throw.
Russia recieved much of what it wants before Obama even landed, i.e. council with NATO, so how would anybody expect Barack to gain advantage? Meanwhile, the Kremlin has failed even to comply with the terms of the truce signed with Georgia last year- continuing to do pretty much as it pleases.
I don’t see any reason to be doing deals with the Russians- they have nothing to offer the United States, IMO.