Posted by
Bert Chapman on Wednesday, December 01, 2010 7:31:51 PM
Like an alcoholic refusing to leave the bottle or a drug addict clinging to their needle, U.S. administrations of both political parties have often had a childlike faith that nuclear arms control agreements with the Soviet Union/Russian Federation will work, be adhered to by Russia, and be in our best national interests. The historical record shows the opposite to frequently be the case.
The Obama Administration has negotiated a new Strategic Arms and Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia which it wants the Senate to advise and consent to during this lame duck session. As the following Heritage Foundation analysis
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/09/Twelve-Flaws-of-New-START-That-Will-Be-Difficult-to-Fix
demonstrates this treaty reflects the Obama Administration's muddle-headed antinuclear utopianism, fails to address protecting the U.S. and its allies from strategic attack, imposes restrictions on missile defense systems whose importance is increasing in light of developments in Iran and North Korea, its weapons reductions further limit the credibility of our aging nuclear weapons arsenal which has not been tested (outside of flawed computer simulations) since the early 1990s, unnecessarily includes conventional prompt global strike weapons in the same category as nuclear weapons, and leaves a large Russian advantage in nonstrategic weapons and other flaws.
Russia has failed to become a democracy and has become something resembling a criminal oligarchy that is using its oil and natural gas reserves to increase its military and geopolitical power. This treaty needs to be rejected by the U.S. Senate and realism, instead of idealistic delusions, must characterize our relations with Russia.