Russia and U.S. Agree to Reduce Nuclear Threat

“I’m pleased to announce that after a year of intense negotiations, the United States and Russia have agreed to the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades.”--President Barack Obama, 10:47 am. 3/26/10

On April 8, 2010 in Prague President Obama and President Medvedev will sign the New START Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation.

The new START treaty will specify limits of:

• 1,550 deployed warheads, 30% lower than the upper warhead limit in the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty signed in Moscow;

• 800 deployed and non-deployed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers, submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear weapons; and

• 700 deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear weapons.

In a statement by former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former Secretary of Defense William Perry and former Senator San Nunn they stated:

“We strongly endorse the goals of this Treaty, and we hope that after careful and expeditious review that both the United States Senate and the Russian Federal Assembly will be able to ratify the Treaty. “

In her statement after the announcement, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cited the overwhelming bipartisan votes in the Senate, and in follow up stated that national security has traditionally been bipartisan.

This treaty expresses the joint commitment to achieving a world without nuclear weapons by the two nations that control 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenals. It sets the stage for further cuts and for reductions by all nuclear weapons countries.

What will be the short term and long term impact of the new START agreement? Can it provide the impetus for a path to universal arms control?