Is it the end of US and Russian arms control?
Washington has pulled out of their Cold War-era nuclear treaty with Moscow, raising fears of a new nuclear arms race.
For 32 years, it was the treaty that kept a lid on the nuclear ambitions of what were then the world’s two superpowers. And now, overnight, it is gone.
The United States has pulled out its landmark arms control deal with Russia, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), increasing fears of a new arms race between the two nuclear powers.
Now, the US says Russia did not stick to its side of the bargain, and instead built missiles banned under the agreement.
Moscow denies that, and says Washington made a “serious mistake” pulling out of the deal.
The INF treaty was signed between the US and what was then the Soviet Union in 1987. It banned all short and medium-range missiles, nuclear and non-nuclear, with the exception of sea-launched weapons.
Within four years, nearly 2,700 missiles were destroyed, and both countries were allowed to inspect each other’s installations.
But Washington’s withdrawal means there is now only one arms control agreement left between the US and Russia.
So, what chance is there of a new agreement, maybe even with some new players?
Presenter: Kamahl Santamaria
Guests:
Tariq Rauf – expert on nuclear disarmament
Glenn Diesen – professor of international relations at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow
David DesRoches – former NATO Operations Director at the Joint Chiefs of Staff