He did so with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START.
Today, President Barack Obama aims to do something similar. Obama has made it clear he too is committed to reducing the nuclear arsenals of the U.S. and Russia by one-third.
As a result, his administration has negotiated the START II Treaty. In his words, “This is not a traditionally Democratic or Republican issue, but rather an issue of American national security.”
Despite these bipartisan endorsements, the Senate has yet to consent to ratify this treaty.
As a Security Leadership Fellow at the Center for International Trade & Security at the University, I am focused on the issues of strategic trade management and nonproliferation. The views expressed here do not reflect the values and/or opinions of CITS. However, I am committed to a real discussion of this important issue.
Many people have said this treaty isn’t beneficial to America because nuclear weapons actually make us safer. Do they? Perhaps — but probably not.
There is a theory in international relations called mutually assured destruction. This theory asserts that nuclear weapons make the world safer because no country would dare to use a nuclear weapon.
The reason? Not only would that nuclear weapon destroy the enemy, but the enemy still has enough time to launch their own nuclear weapons, thereby ensuring that both countries destroy each other.
Obama Must Ratify START Treaty
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