Global Issues: Nuclear Proliferation ~ Ratification of New START Treaty

The New START treaty, a centerpiece of the Obama administration’s nuclear policy, is nearing a ratification vote amid continuing partisan debate over its scope. The US foreign policy think tank CFR, has the following: “The agreement, signed by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in April, limits the United States and Russia to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and 700 ICBM missiles, and provides mechanisms for verification and monitoring. Opponents say the agreement provides too many concessions to Russia and weakens U.S. ability to employ missile defense technology, which the White House and other backers dispute. The defeated Republican amendments would have tripled the number of inspections under the treaty, upped the number of missiles deployed to 720, and reopened treaty negotiations within a year.”

Here are a few follow up links: CFR: Strenghts and Weakness of the New START Treaty Text of the New START Treaty BBC:Russia Warns US over changes to the New START Treaty = has good embeeded video clip BBC: Q&A New START Treaty - Excellent for background