It Is Essential That a Sincere Treaty for Nuclear Disarmament between America and Russia Be Carried Out

The U.S. Senate has approved of ratification of the newest Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between America and Russia, and soon President Barrack Obama will sign an instrument of ratification. With Russia’s ratification certain, the forecast is that the treaty will come into effect at the start of the new year, and I would like for both Russia and America to fulfill the treaty with honesty.

Based on the treaty, within seven years of having it come into effect, both America and Russia will try to have reduced the maximum number of strategically deployed nuclear warheads by 30 percent (1550 warheads each), compared to what it is now. They will also reduce the methods of transporting (delivering) the warheads, such as by long-range missiles, to 700 and carry out inspections of each other’s nuclear facilities.

It’s important that both countries keep on promoting the growth of trust and making sure to verify the other is curtailing its nuclear weaponry.

If America pushes the deployment of a missile defense system upon Europe, Asia has warned that it may withdraw from the treaty, for they are concerned that this missile defense system will be used to make the power of their own nuclear force weaker.

The conflicts surrounding the missile system must not put a premature end to the crucial matter of curtailing nuclear weapons. Even in achieving the goals set by the new START, there still remain many thousands of nuclear weapons being fired off. It is important that both America and Russia, who possess around 90 percent of said weaponry in the world, continue to work together in reducing it.

In the treaty, strategic nuclear warheads, which are not deployed in actual combat but rather sent to (bomb) emergency reserves, and tactical nuclear weapons (which are comparatively less powerful) are to be reduced, but they have not yet become targets of America and Russia’s attention.

Obama’s administration has shown intentions of dealing with the issue of reducing tactical weapons, and in accordance with this, Russia too should begin new curtailment negotiations. Another important task is to bind the disarmament of America and Russia to disarming other countries that possess nuclear weapons. In particular this includes China, which continues to modernize and reinforce its nuclear strength. America and Russia must keep on actively urging them to stop expanding their nuclear armaments and set out a plan of disarmament.

There are still countries such as North Korea and Iran who ignore the cautions of the international community and continue to develop nuclear arms. No matter how many times America and Russia request that these countries give up on doing this, if America and Russia don’t cut down on weapons themselves, then these other countries are just not going to listen to them.

To stop nuclear weapons from proliferating, America and Russia should put all their efforts into starting negotiations on a “cut-off” treaty, in which they prohibit the manufacture of plutonium and highly-enriched uranium that are the base materials for making them.

Due to the new START, Robert Gates, the American Secretary of Defense, has taken on a leading role in America’s prevention of the proliferation of nuclear arms, and he has expressed his pride in the “strengthening” of his role. If America ratifies the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), then I expect his power to lead will become even stronger.