Tuesday
Apr062010
Experts Applaud New Direction In Nuclear Policy
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 3:35PM
By Justine Rellosa-Talk Radio News Service
A number of experts applauded the direction the Obama administration is taking in their nuclear policy during a conference call hosted by the Center for American Progress Tuesday.
“[The new guidelines] state that the U.S will not develop new nuclear warheads, and use only nuclear components based on previously tested designs,” said former British Defense Minister, Des Brown. “That’s extremely important for us here in the United Kingdom because we anticipate in the next parliament that we will have to make the decision about the future of our own nuclear warheads.”
The policies, contained in the administration's Congressionally mandated Nuclear Policy Review, outlines a significant change in the U.S government’s position on the use of nuclear weapons. The U.S. stance is now revised to emphasize the prevention of nuclear proliferation and terrorism. It also outlines the U.S agreement to withdraw from using weapons of mass destruction against any non-nuclear country that has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The release of the review comes just days before President Barack Obama is scheduled to sign the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague.
Associate Director of Russia and Eurasia at CAP, Samuel Charap, praised the move to stabilize relations with Russia.
“We’ve gone a long way in being able to discuss some issues that are crucial for the security of both the United States, Russia, and the rest of the world. They have sort of set the groundwork both for a broadening of the relationship between the U.S and Russia, and a deepening of the relationship on arms control and nuclear security issues,” said Charap.
In the political realm, START has bipartisan support from various former Repubican national security officials, according to Max Bergmann, a Policy Analyst of nuclear non-proliferation at CAP.
“[Former Secretaries of State] Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, George Schultz and Senator Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), have stated their support for the ratification," said Bergmann.
A number of experts applauded the direction the Obama administration is taking in their nuclear policy during a conference call hosted by the Center for American Progress Tuesday.
“[The new guidelines] state that the U.S will not develop new nuclear warheads, and use only nuclear components based on previously tested designs,” said former British Defense Minister, Des Brown. “That’s extremely important for us here in the United Kingdom because we anticipate in the next parliament that we will have to make the decision about the future of our own nuclear warheads.”
The policies, contained in the administration's Congressionally mandated Nuclear Policy Review, outlines a significant change in the U.S government’s position on the use of nuclear weapons. The U.S. stance is now revised to emphasize the prevention of nuclear proliferation and terrorism. It also outlines the U.S agreement to withdraw from using weapons of mass destruction against any non-nuclear country that has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The release of the review comes just days before President Barack Obama is scheduled to sign the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague.
Associate Director of Russia and Eurasia at CAP, Samuel Charap, praised the move to stabilize relations with Russia.
“We’ve gone a long way in being able to discuss some issues that are crucial for the security of both the United States, Russia, and the rest of the world. They have sort of set the groundwork both for a broadening of the relationship between the U.S and Russia, and a deepening of the relationship on arms control and nuclear security issues,” said Charap.
In the political realm, START has bipartisan support from various former Repubican national security officials, according to Max Bergmann, a Policy Analyst of nuclear non-proliferation at CAP.
“[Former Secretaries of State] Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, George Schultz and Senator Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), have stated their support for the ratification," said Bergmann.
START Provisions Could Weaken U.S. Missile Defense, Say Experts
By Rob Sanna - Talk Radio News Service
Vague language in parts of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) could limit the United States’ ability to improve its missile defense system, according to experts at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C..
Currently the treaty would link missile defense limits to limits on offensive missile systems. Russian officials are using this to claim that their nation has the right to ignore the treaty and increase their nuclear missile count if the United States upgrades or expands its missile defense system in any way (provide a link to a story that confirms this).
“It was so important to the Russians, this one piece of preamble langauge in the treaty, that on the day the treaty was signed they released a unilateral statement saying that ‘Based on this preambluar language, the United States cannot…enhance its missle defenses, otherwise we’re going to withdraw under article 14,’” said Steven Groves with the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C..
Henry Sokolski, Executive Director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, said the U.S. should stop confronting Russia, but instead should try to work with the Russians on issues such as growing weapon stocks in China. He said the U.S. should support denuclearizing some of its warheads if Russia and China agree to do the same.
In addition to the START treaty, Sokolski recommended that the U.N. begin to impose heavy sanctions on nations that violate nuclear agreements.
He also noted that it would be very helpful for the U.S. to use economic leverage over nuclear suppliers like China, Russia, France, Japan, and Korea. Currently, these nations are selling reactors unregulated in the Middle East, effectively under-cutting the restraints the U.S. is pushing for.