OBAMA-THE FOREIGN POLICY PREZ: Russia says it will not renew NUKE/CHEM arms agreement with U.S.

In 1922 the USA, Japan and Britain agreed to limit their navies to 5-3-5 ratios in numbers (the USA and Britain used defense of 2 oceans as the reason for their greater need). They also agrees to a total limit on tonnage, and limits on the size of each kind of ship (cruisers, battleships and aircraft carriers ..which were thought of as scout escort for the battleships at that time). This was done as part of a series of treaties which made war illegal.

Of course we all know the result.

Since Nixon the USSR, then Russia and the USA have embarked on a series, a VERY LONG SERIES of agreements which have now stretched across about 30 years. We have both done not only so because a combined total of about 70,000 nuclear weapons was absurd (and life ending), but because both sides perceived advantages accruing from the other side having less nuclear weapons, and their own as well (costs to maintain, design, develop, engineer, deploy and not just for the weapons, but for the systems to deliver them)

Nuclear weapons, and CHEMICAL weapons are now at all time lows as result of this process.

This specific agreement by which we help pay for (and are present at) the dismantling and destruction of Russki nukes (as part of the overall START treaties) was put together in 1991.

When nations no longer see advantage to treaties, they abandon them. When Japan saw that the Naval, and anti war treaties of the early 1920’s limited their national aspirations, they abandoned them. THAT’S HOW IT IS ON EARTH. Japan saw a US consumed with internal issues, a shrinking army, a flat navy, and an obsolete army air force. They, on the other hand were, building, growing, and saw blue skies.

Today the USA is consumed with internal issues, is replacing 751 F-15 air superiority interceptors with 186 (one lost to crash) F-22’s, and the many of the rest are from the 1970’s. The Navy is shrinking to 230 vessels from over 600. Obama talks about the US just ELIMINATING nuclear weapons. We have designed, and deployed no new nukes, no ICBMS, launch no new missile sub design. We are awash in small drones, smaller drones, and micro drones. Obama has told the Joint Chiefs all this is okay because not only will we not be fighting any Iraq/Afghanistan wars in the future, we will not be fighting any conventional wars as well.

MEANWHILE…. seeing something we don’t see….

REUTERS:

U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, a veteran disarmament campaigner, was in Moscow in August to push for the renewal of the program, known as the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which he helped launch.

The project, intended to dismantle nuclear and chemical weapons in the former Soviet Union, was last ratified by Russia in 2006 and is due to expire in 2013. Aides said it had resulted in the deactivation of more than 7,650 strategic warheads.

But Obama will have more room after Nov 6th?

What other advantages will Russia AND OTHER NATIONS ASSUME WILL BE THEIRS?

How will these kinds of moves by other nations affect our ability to pay our own bills as time goes on?

Are we debating what kind of defense dept we need and why we need it?

Are we discussing what kind of force constitutes credible deterrence?

Are we discussing what our options would be if our forces cannot deter aggression somewhere critical to us and we don’t have conventional forces to react?

Just think about our choices at that instant, for a few moments.