U.S., Russia agree to seek warhead cuts

U.S., Russia agree to seek warhead cuts

www.latimes.com

Reporting from Moscow and London -- President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed Wednesday to open negotiations on a treaty that could slash their nuclear arsenals by a third, part of what they described as a step "to move beyond Cold War mentalities" in relations between Washington and Moscow.

The agreement to undertake significant arms-control talks emerged from the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders, and included a promise by Obama to visit the Russian capital this summer to pursue the talks.

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Among the muck of geopolitics, and the steadfast ignorance of our current politicians, every now and then I see a little glimmer of hope. This would be one of those glimmers. The reduction of nuclear warheads between Russia and the US will go a long way to promoting peace and non-proliferation, as well as reduce the amount of money we are wasting on maintaining warheads for decades on end. It is not just fiscally responsible, it is strategically responsible as it could free up money to pursue less destructive, but more effective means of defense.

This is welcome news in a sea of so much bad.

www.latimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Hi,

Just catching this new thread.

Yeah, I agree it's good news the US and Russia are being pragmatic and diplomatic in lowering the ante instead of upping it.

The timing is unfortunate. I expect it will send a wrong signal to those who want to move forward in the nuclear major league. China as well as India are probably thinking this pushes them up a notch in relative terms. Places like Iran and Syria, and maybe Saudi Arabia, will take the pullback as encouraging if they intend throw their weight around in the near future.

The real wild card is Pakistan. Maybe more than just a right wing nightmare, descending on them are Muslim bad guys looking for nukes that can be used to seriously reshape the political landscape.

As the US and Russia wind down, the next few years might be the first time in half a century where their deterrence value is actually crucial.


Mike