Is The U.S. - Russia Nuclear Arms Control Treaty Of 1987 Being Ignored By Both Sides?

An intermediate-range ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead, known as the RSD-10 Pioneer, deployed by the Soviet Union from 1976 to 1988 and withdrawn from service under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. (Wikimedia Commons)

Stratfor: Farewell to an Arms Treaty: Analysis

Summary

A long-embattled arms control pact signed by Moscow and Washington in 1987 took its biggest hit yet this month. On Feb. 14, allegations emerged that the Russians had deployed operational units equipped with missiles that violate the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). In response, three U.S. senators introduced the INF Preservation Act, which among other measures calls for the United States to develop its own prohibited missiles. The precarious state of the treaty adds urgency to questions about the potential consequences of its demise, particularly since both countries have growing incentives to abandon the pact. Withdrawal by either Moscow or Washington would compel a rapid buildup of short- and medium-range missiles by both militaries, a surge of investment in missile defense, and a boost to U.S. capabilities in the Western Pacific.

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WNU Editor: The last thing that both the U.S. and Russia need right now is another nuclear arms race. Unfortunately .... if the above analysis is correct .... we may soon find ourselves in sucha race.

Is A Global Treaty On Conventional Arms Possible?

Carl Fredrik Reutersward's 'Non Violence' sculpture outside the UN in New York

A Treaty On Conventional Arms -- New York Times editorial

The world is awash in conventional weapons, like tanks, firearms and aircraft, with the market valued at $40 billion to $60 billion a year. Far too many of these arms are fueling conflicts and atrocities in Syria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond. They have been used to kill countless innocent civilians, and they will be used against countless more if the international community does not find a way to keep them out of the hands of unscrupulous regimes, militants and criminals.

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My Comment: I doubt that such a treaty will have an immediate impact .... but it is a start .... and one that (if the commitment is there among it's supporters) can only get stronger with time.

The Arms-Control Dinosaurs Are Back -- A Commentary

From The Wall Street Journal:

Why invite Russia to veto the nuclear progress we've been making on our own?

When John Bolton served in the State Department during the Bush administration, he often walked the halls of Foggy Bottom wearing his trademark dinosaur ties -- a self-deprecating nod to those who thought his political views somewhat Jurassic. Today other dinosaurs have replaced him. The aging arms controllers who once haggled with Soviet officials are staging a comeback in the Obama administration.

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