Bombs not away, yet

A letter of mine in the Times Literary Supplement, Dec. 17, 2008:

Warhead reduction

Sir, – Christopher Coker, in his review of What Next? by Christopher Patten (December 5), writes that “ . . . the real reason why the Great Powers are unlikely to reduce their own stocks [of nuclear weapons] is their agnosticism about disarmament”. I find it rather intriguing that a Professor of International Relations has so casually discounted a clear example of conversion to the faith by the United States and Russia (one presumes they are the “Great Powers” to which he refers).

Under the 2002 Moscow Treaty On Strategic Offensive Reductions – signed by President Bush and then President Putin, and since ratified by both the United States and Russia – the two countries agreed that by 2012 each would reduce its number of strategic nuclear warheads to 1,700–2,200, a reduction of nearly two-thirds below 2002 levels. That would seem a very significant reduction indeed.

Though it must be admitted that both countries still have some way to go. As of October 1, 2008, the United States had 5,951 such warheads and Russia 4,138. One trusts their treaty commitment to the disarmament faith will produce expeditious results over the next four years.

MARK COLLINS

References sent with the letter:
http://www.state.gov/t/ac/trt/18016.htm#1
http://www.state.gov/t/vci/rls/prsrl/2008/110337.htm

Mark C.

Posted by markc at January 5, 2009 03:21 PM