Trust, but don’t bother to verify. That is the Obama Administration’s latest message about how the United States of America ought to manage the most fearsome weapons known to man. There are severe deficiencies in the New START arms control treaty. In particular, the means for verifying that Russia is …
In 1987, at the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), President Ronald Reagan summarized his approach to arms-control by citing an old Russian proverb: “doveryai, no proveryai.” Translation: trust, but verify. When Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev noted, “You say that at every meeting,” Reagan shot back, “I like …
The New START treaty imposes significant limitations on U.S. ballistic missile defenses, and new limitations continue to be revealed as the treaty is scrutinized. The newest restriction—which has not yet been addressed by the Administration or proponents of the treaty—is a limitation on test-target missiles and their associated launchers, which …
In an interview with National Journal (subscription necessary) Senator Richard Lugar (R–IN), responds to a series of objections to the new START Treaty and outlines why he believes ratification is necessary. Sen. Lugar addresses the question of tactical nuclear weapons, yet gives a less than satisfactory response. He states, “A …
According to press reports, an undisclosed State Department report on the new strategic arms control treaty with Russia, called New START, reveals that the Obama Administration is not concerned about the implications of Russian cheating under the treaty. Specifically, the State Department report supposedly states that “any Russian cheating under …
One of the common “sky is falling” claims of Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) supporters like Hillary Clinton and John Isaacs of the Council of a Livable World is that unless this treaty with Russia is ratified, we’ll have nothing binding to make us continue reducing our nuclear weapons …
Senator Carl Levin (D–MI), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released an op-ed last week arguing that the new START Treaty is good for the U.S. and the world. This follows similar op-eds from Sen. John Kerry (D–MA) and Sen. Richard Lugar (R–IN). Given the number of such publications …
The Left is desperately trying to convince us that Senate ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) is inevitable, but, as Henry Sokolski points out, the real debate is only beginning. The Left has accused the treaty’s opponents of (among other things) suffering from a “bias problem,” implying …