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Trump Continues As Putin's Puppet; Withdrawing From a NUCLEAR Arms Treaty with Russia
Killing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was a gift to Russia. The INF Treaty was at the heart of arms control that helped lead to the end of the Cold War. The death of the treaty could easily harm rather than bolster U.S. and allied security.
The Trump administration announced Friday [2/1/19] that the United States will pull out of a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, ending a cornerstone Cold War agreement and raising fears of a new nuclear arms race in Europe and Asia. Trump said Russia is violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a charge Moscow denies, leaving the United States at a disadvantage....
The treaty has been a central element of Europe’s security strategy for more than three decades and its signing was considered a crucial moment in Cold War arms control, eliminating more than 2,600 missiles and ending a years-long standoff with nuclear missiles in Europe. The treaty had prohibited the United States and Russia from testing or deploying land-based missiles able to fly in what are known as short or intermediate ranges: 300 to 3,400 miles. Both countries have sea- and air-launched missiles that fly in these ranges.
For some background since most have never heard of INF Treaty before:
In December 1987, Gorbachev and Reagan signed the INF Treaty, banning all cruise and ballistic missiles—whether they had conventional or nuclear warheads—with a range between 500 and 5,000 kilometers.
The Senate ratified the treaty, 93–5. Its terms were enforced. Other treaties followed. Warm relations ensued in all spheres. The Berlin Wall came down two years later. The Soviet Union imploded two years after that.
So because Russia isn't following it, we cancel the treaty rather than hold them responsible? EXACTLY WHAT PUTIN WANTS. Instead of punishing them, Republicans and Trump decided to cancel the treaty. Why oh why would Trump and his compromised colleagues do such a thing? We should actually be punishing Russia directly for their violation of the treaty, not withdrawing from it because they aren't abiding!
Putin, in a decision that was widely expected, suspended his country’s observance of a key nuclear arms control pact on Saturday [2/2/19] in response to a similar move by the United States a day before. Putin also said that Russia would build weapons previously banned under the treaty and would no longer initiate talks with the United States on any matters related to nuclear arms control.
This is going in a very, very, very bad direction.... a death spiral.
The withdrawal also signals the increasing peril treaties face in a Trump administration that emphasizes national sovereignty over international cooperation. In addition to withdrawing from the INF Treaty, Trump has also left the Iran nuclear deal and Paris climate accord and threatened to pull out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and World Trade Organization.
His withdrawal from the INF Treaty has fueled concerns that he will decline to extend the main nuclear arms treaty with Russia and risk a return to the early days of the nuclear arms race. The demise of the INF Treaty opens the door to the deployment of American intermediate-range missiles in Europe and Asia, potentially increasing the tension in a standoff with Russia and China.
Beijing responded to the American announcement by warning on Saturday that the breakup of the treaty would undermine global security....
As long as the INF Treaty is in force, the United States can use it to rally global action and support to confront Moscow’s violation. The treaty also provides a basis for the United States to impose financial and political sanctions on Russia. The demise of the deal means both of these levers go away. Trump's withdrawal gives Russia a get out of jail free card since the loss of the treaty removes any basis for the United States to claim Russia is not meeting its obligations.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/02/world/europe/russia-inf-treaty.html
http://smartdissent.com/article/pulling-out-key-missile-treaty-trump-doing-what-putin-wants