Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir
Putin warned that the US is raising the risk of a nuclear war by threatening to withdraw from nuclear treaties and refusing to hold talks on another pact that is soon to expire.
Putin in particular warned of a dangerous new arms race coming out of
the withdrawal from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, saying
it would have unpredictable consequences.
“We are essentially witnessing the breakdown of the international arms
control order and the start of an arms race.” Putin said Russia would
have no choice but to respond if the US pullout led to US nuclear
missiles appearing in Europe.
Russia has been offering talks on saving the INF, and has also sought
negotiations on the expiring New START pact, which expires in 2021.
Putin has warned if talks don’t start very soon, they won’t have time to
extend New START before the expiration.
“British spy Steele blows apart entire Trump-Russia collusion hoax.” YouTube video today, Dec. 20 from the Duran.
I know this has nothing to do with the INF but I just wanted to inform Jason Ditz and readers about this extraordinary story that has so far not appeared in the main stream media or any alternative sites that I follow.
It is misleading to warn of a new arms race: more as a race to re-arm, as in the 1930s. The term arms race implies the Cold War. But the Cold War was the peace, a post-world war environment; we are now in a –pre-world war crisis.
There has been many periods of peace (or relative peace) throughout history. The Thirty Years Peace between the two Peloponnesian Wars, Pax Romana, Europe in the 19th century after the Congress of Vienna, to name a few. They all ended: followed by war. The Congress System finally collapsed in 1914 with the start of World War One. That conflict was followed by the League of Nations. It did not stop World War Two. That was followed by the United Nations and other post-war institutions. But all the indications are they will not prevent a third world war.
https://www.ghostsofhistory.wordpress.com/
There’s a big difference between the wars you mentioned, Peter, and the one war that hasn’t yet happened. The nuclear age dawned with the two atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 2 and 6, respectively.
A 3rd World War would be utterly catastrophic and wipe out all life, except for cockroaches and radiation-immune microorganisms. You see, there aren’t only atom bombs out there, there are also thermonuclear (hydrogen) bombs .. and it’s the thermonuclear war that’ll wipe out all life except cockroaches and radiation-immune microorganisms.
Trump’s all for further talks with Putin, his Russian counterpart, but both Secretary of State Mike (Pompous) Pompeo and National Security Adviser John (Bonkers) Bolton are totally against it. Trump sorely needs to fire these two Trotskyists and replace them with those who won’t undermine him at every step. Trump also needs to rid the White House of ALL Trotskyists, not just those two.
I’m reminded of the old comparison of Russia and the US: Russia plays chess, the US poker.
Poker ends up going wrong once in a while, and in this case it means it takes everyone down with it. And Trump may get the US out of Syria and Afghanistan but his risky bellicose style combined with the warmongers around him is a very dangerous combination.