The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) is being called the last major nuclear weapons limitation treaty between the US and Russia. By February of 2021, its expiration date, it won’t even be that.
The terms of the treaty limit the number of deployed nuclear warheads either the US or Russia can have at a given time. Russia has been urging talks to extend or replace New START for a long time, and now says it’s just plain too late to get everything done by the expiration date.
An expected replacement treaty would be what everyone was hoping for, but with no work active on it, there is no real chance of getting everything done, and indeed no sign that things will even start, with the US showing little interest in arms limitation talks.
Though Russian Foreign Ministry office’s Vladimir Leontyev says it might be possible to rush through a blanket extension of New START under existing terms, even that would take at least six months to implement, and is made even more complicated by President Trump wanting China to also be limited by any new deal.
China is not a party to New START, though even if they were their entire strategic arsenal is just a fraction of the limits, and thus wouldn’t be impacted in the least. China is effectively an excuse on this matter, and with both the US and Russia looking at developing more nuclear arms, the momentum seems to be behind a new arms race, not a new arms treaty.
Lot’s of money to be made here, that’s the real reason. Capitalism requires mass murder and intimidation as well as busy work like making more and better war heads despite having a surplus to begin with.
Yeah capitalism !!!
Dave, a coffee shop owner is a capitalist. What about a barber shop? Super Market? Clothing store? You see in this time period we haven’t invented any replicating machines to cover all niche.
I get along with the Russians right after I finish 18, and finish watching cable tv.
Because you understand no one is armed to the teeth like USA and its hundreds of bases and aircraft carriers.
Using these weapons is insane no matter what the “experts” who oppose unilateral disarmament infer by their insistence on keeping and improving these weapons is necessary. One such expert is President Obama who left us a trillion dollars upgrade of these civilization ending monsters. We miss him so much. Not irrational like Trump.
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Yes, obama signed that bill. He did so in order to get the START treaty signed in the senate. The GOP presented the nuclear upgrade and said, get this passed, or no START treaty. Yes, you can blame Obama if you wish, but, that is not how it went down.
It is a huge strategic and financial commitment.Oppose it or back it. Obama backed it.
Obama clearly showed for 8 years he accepted the premise that ” America leads”. The American Security State is dangerous and will end voluntarily or more likely by collapses of dollar and of moderate climate that permits large production, cities and technology.
. Obama was far more hawkish than his naive 2008 voters thought.
The modernization of warheads and medium range missiles advances the lure of first strike nuclear attack by US as its advantages over China dwindle. Greed absorbs moral qualms.
The new warheads and delivery systems were not part of the obama era modernization bill. Those systems were introduced and passed in 2017 by the gop and trump. The modernization bill offered no new weapon systems, but upgraded most facilities, bad enough, but Obama had to agree to get the warhead limitations in start. No, I had no illusions Obama would reverse the course of US militancy. That won’t occur until the political will to repeal the war on terror authorization exists.
Including China in any potential new deal is obviously the right call.
I’ve said this before, we are due for a fourth turning sometimes in 2028. But this may be pushed forward to 2025.
The question comes down to this: If the giant smashes the Russian doll, will there be another one inside it?
And what about Humpty Dumpty? If the bear mauls, the golden egg, are there any king’s horses or kings men to put Humpty back together again? Chew on that for a moment.