Ponce
21st June 2013, 09:16 AM
Tell me, what difference does it makes if Russia sends 3,000 nukes to the US instead of 5,000?.....and then you have China and other countries that are waiting to send the US into orbit.
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esident Barack Obama continued the trend set by past American leaders by announcing that he would ask Russia to follow the United States in its plans to slash its supply of nuclear warheads. The American President said, “We may no longer live in fear of global annihilation, but so long as nuclear weapons exist, we are not truly safe” while speaking at the iconic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Wednesday. He argued that that the American government could maintain security of America while keeping only a third of the nukes that it has under its control today.
In his landmark speech, while addressing thousands of people in the German capital, President Obama said his country would not consider using nuclear weapons under any circumstances, except in the extreme situation in which it was necessary to protect the vital interests of the U.S. and its partners and allies. In a statement released shortly after Obama’s speech, the White House called upon the Pentagon to further reduce the role played by nuclear weapons in ensuring the security of the U.S. It maintained that the focus of America’s nuclear strategy would be shifted to deterrence.
CNN reported that Obama’s speech drew severe criticism from Howard McKeon, the Republican chairman of the House of Armed Services Committee, who argued that Russia had failed to abide by nuke-reduction agreements already in place. In a statement, he said that President Obama should make it clear that it will not allow itself or any of its allies to be bullied by Russia. New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), a bilateral agreement between Russia and the United States, already requires both countries to cut down their nukes to 1550 warheads by the year 2018. This agreement has already been in place for over two years.
If President Obama is able to push through his deweaponization back home and get Russia to agree, the stockpiles of the two largest nuclear weapons holders would be reduced further by one-third. This means that the United States and Russia would hold approximately 1,000 nuclear warheads within the next few years. Europe would also see a reduction in American and Russian tactical weapons that have been in place ever since the Cold War.
President Obama’s call came at a time when Iran and North Korea are pursuing controversial nuclear programs despite widespread international condemnation and economic sanctions. A reduction in the number of warheads possessed by the United States and possibly Russia could mean that these rogue nations could have a freer hand in pursuing nuclear weapons for themselves. Yet, government officials have made it clear that they would continue to apply pressure on both Iran and North Korea so that they drop their nuclear programs.
Although Obama’s pledge to reduce the nuclear weapons all over the world won him a coveted Nobel Peace Prize back in 2009, a series of controversial decisions have meant that a various groups of people have called for its revocation. Only recently Obama expressed his desire to arm rebels in Syria who have been trying to topple President Bashar Al-Assad’s dictatorship. According a report by the BBC, this eagerness appears to be extremely unpopular, not only among the American people, but also many key European leaders. It remains to be seen whether talk of global nuclear disarmament is a mere distraction from a deteriorating situation in Syria, and whether Obama can convince American legislators and the Russian leadership to go ahead with it.
http://www.1800politics.com/obama-asks-russia-to-slash-its-supply-of-nuclear-warheads/
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esident Barack Obama continued the trend set by past American leaders by announcing that he would ask Russia to follow the United States in its plans to slash its supply of nuclear warheads. The American President said, “We may no longer live in fear of global annihilation, but so long as nuclear weapons exist, we are not truly safe” while speaking at the iconic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Wednesday. He argued that that the American government could maintain security of America while keeping only a third of the nukes that it has under its control today.
In his landmark speech, while addressing thousands of people in the German capital, President Obama said his country would not consider using nuclear weapons under any circumstances, except in the extreme situation in which it was necessary to protect the vital interests of the U.S. and its partners and allies. In a statement released shortly after Obama’s speech, the White House called upon the Pentagon to further reduce the role played by nuclear weapons in ensuring the security of the U.S. It maintained that the focus of America’s nuclear strategy would be shifted to deterrence.
CNN reported that Obama’s speech drew severe criticism from Howard McKeon, the Republican chairman of the House of Armed Services Committee, who argued that Russia had failed to abide by nuke-reduction agreements already in place. In a statement, he said that President Obama should make it clear that it will not allow itself or any of its allies to be bullied by Russia. New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), a bilateral agreement between Russia and the United States, already requires both countries to cut down their nukes to 1550 warheads by the year 2018. This agreement has already been in place for over two years.
If President Obama is able to push through his deweaponization back home and get Russia to agree, the stockpiles of the two largest nuclear weapons holders would be reduced further by one-third. This means that the United States and Russia would hold approximately 1,000 nuclear warheads within the next few years. Europe would also see a reduction in American and Russian tactical weapons that have been in place ever since the Cold War.
President Obama’s call came at a time when Iran and North Korea are pursuing controversial nuclear programs despite widespread international condemnation and economic sanctions. A reduction in the number of warheads possessed by the United States and possibly Russia could mean that these rogue nations could have a freer hand in pursuing nuclear weapons for themselves. Yet, government officials have made it clear that they would continue to apply pressure on both Iran and North Korea so that they drop their nuclear programs.
Although Obama’s pledge to reduce the nuclear weapons all over the world won him a coveted Nobel Peace Prize back in 2009, a series of controversial decisions have meant that a various groups of people have called for its revocation. Only recently Obama expressed his desire to arm rebels in Syria who have been trying to topple President Bashar Al-Assad’s dictatorship. According a report by the BBC, this eagerness appears to be extremely unpopular, not only among the American people, but also many key European leaders. It remains to be seen whether talk of global nuclear disarmament is a mere distraction from a deteriorating situation in Syria, and whether Obama can convince American legislators and the Russian leadership to go ahead with it.
http://www.1800politics.com/obama-asks-russia-to-slash-its-supply-of-nuclear-warheads/