The 30 year anniversary of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) has brought a lot of new attention based on some very old missile tests by the Russian Federation, which the US has at times claimed amount to a violation of the pact.
NATO is now offering comments as well, but a lot less definitive, simply expressing “concerns” that the missiles might in fact violate the INF. NATO also said it was an “urgent concern” if Russia violated the treaty and the US keeps complying with it.
There’s no risk of that though, as while Russia denies that they’re violating the INF, there appears to be little question the US has been violating it for years with the deployment of missile defense systems into Eastern Europe.
The future of the INF appears much less dependent on the specifics of actual or even theoretical violations, than of growing US-Russia tensions, as the US appears eager to hype this missile test from years ago, and may want to withdraw from the treaty as part of the tit-for-tat hostile diplomacy.
“…US has been violating it for years with the deployment of missile defense systems into Eastern Europe.”
Hey, that paragraph in the INF about deploying missile defense systems wasn’t meant to apply to the Exceptional EmpireUSA. Similarly, the paragraph in the Geneva Conventions outlawing torture was determined by Bushco to not apply to what the USG was doing in Iraq/GITMO…they’re terrorists obviously. ***I’m not sure I’m talking about the radical Islamists or the USG as the results are the same, just different methods and armaments.
Sad, really when you have to stop and think about who you’re talking about.
Wasn’t it good of SCOTUS to rule that George was Wrong in Hamdin V Rumsfeld that Under common article 3 was in place and that Torture was illegal even for the so called Terrorists, why is it that when these matters get to the SCOTUS they are thrown out. SCOTUS ruled that all persons at Guantanamo Bay and other US facilities had at least Common Article three rights, that also meant NO torture! Just think the US has been funding Terrorists in Syria, because that is exactly what Al Nusra Front are they were formerly known as Al Qaeda in Iraq!
Those treaties were to our mutual benefit. Withdrawal serves only the militarists who never wanted the treaties, just piling arms on top of arms at vast profit to those selling arms.
‘Were to out mutual benefit’, past tense, being the operative tense. Piles of cash are going to nextgen piles of arms.
The future of war is in hypersonic missiles and directed energy weapons, and there’s no treaty on those even being dreamt of.
“Comparing lasers, railguns and hypersonic weapons as potential gamechangers”, Brian Wang, April 15, 2017, NextBigFuture. com.
Kind of surreal; we’re fretting over old news as an arms race to viable first strike is igniting right in front of us in plain sight.
You don’t suppose Russia already had those weapons in 2008 after Russia attacked Georgia . Medvedev got very nerrivous when a bunch of NATO war ships stormed into the Black sea . The United States intercepted the Russian presidents telephone call to his commander NOW WHAT CAN WE DO ? the commanders response was don’t worry if those ships cause trouble here I can make them disappear .
really RUSSIA attacked Georgia actually the OTHER WAY AROUND, Georgia attacked South Ossetia at the same time it attacked NORTH OSSETTIA, North Ossettia is in fact Russian Territory. what you are really forgetting to add that Russia was and STILL IS the official UN security council peacekeeping force in South Ossetia, they are at law actually allowed to protect South Ossettia from Georgian Aggression! The investigation by the EU proved without doubt it was the Georgian President that ordered the attack on South Ossettia and North Ossettia, Russia’s Response was in fact minimalist it took only such action to stop the Attack from continuing. Even Georgia admitted after it ousted the Georgian President of the day that the Georgian President acted unlawfully! Strangely Mikheil Saakashvili then appeared in Ukraine, waging war against Russia as well bringing with him surprise Chechen Terrorists to fight, the same Chechen Terrorists that were allegedly being trained in Georgia when he was President. If the Russians had have followed US example the attack on RUSSIAN territory and Russian Troops inside Russia would have meant the Capital of Georgia would have been leveled!
“Medvedev got very nerrivous when a bunch of NATO war ships stormed into the Black sea ”
How unreasonable!!!
Well, he might have had to sink them or something if they did something unreasonable.
When the Georgians invaded South Ossetia the Russians intervened to prevent ethnic cleansing.
Its unlikely Medvedev made any such phone call as you describe; he should have been in on contingency war planning well beforehand and known what the Americans could do and what Russia would do in turn on most of Russia’s key frontiers. Ossetia was a particularly warm holdover from the breakup of the Soviet Union, between Georgian nationalists and ethnic Russian separatists .
Russia does not need special advanced weapons to deal with NATO surface ships on the Black Sea. Apart from surveillance and maybe sneaking in a few supplies, or more likely sneaking out a few operatives, there wasn’t anything NATO ships could do.
Georgia was hardly worth world war, especially since Georgia started it. The very act of using surface ships within a Russian A2AD net signals grave concern well short of we’re shooting first concern.
The Black Sea even then was a NATO deathtrap; not enough room to maneuver or hide except for maybe submarines.
You really don’t think Russia would now be worried about following old treaties after the NATO forces themselves violated almost every rule and agreement that everybody spent years in making the world a safer place for nations .Haven’t you understood what the NWO is .It means we don’t need independent nations with strict borders when we all now have new world rules for everyone .
Qualifying the statement already? Last week they were saying Russia did violate agreements. Maybe if they’d give things a day – to think about them.
NATO. Who? Laws are for the little people.
Is there any limit to the lies and deception of the USA? Treaties are ignored or discarded (GWBush); bases are set up all around the borders of Russia that NATO controls; weapons are placed wherever possible, threats are made and no attempt at diplomacy, even discussions;as well as the mean-spirited interference with media and sport just to spite Russia.
The USA likes to pretend, like Israel, that it is in some sort of existential danger. LOL