Obama’s Risky No Nukes Policy
During the 2008 US Presidential election campaign many noticed the personal history of candidate Barack Obama appeared cloaked in secrecy as little was uncovered about his earlier days growing up or attending college and the candidate was not offering any clarity on the topic. Surprisingly, the NY Times is offering an account of at least one aspect of student Obama’s thinking on nuclear arms. And Jennifer Rubin offers a report expanding on the concerns that President Obama may still hold these youthful idealistic notions. Unfortunately, Mr Obama may be operating without benefit of the practical realities that typically guide world leaders through the dangerous territory of foreign affairs.
With Iran, North Korea and surely others pursuing nuclear weapons arsenals and Russian leaders expressing concern over US missile defense proposals leading up to current arms negotiations the Obama mindset may be of concern to you. Especially if the new President has an obsession with youthful idealism.
Obama Has Gotten It Wrong for Twenty-Five Years
Jennifer Rubin - 07.05.2009 - 8:31 AM
The line below from the Rubin piece should feature prominently with any US position on arms negotiations.
The impotent ‘international community’ has done nothing to stop rogue states from pursuing an arms race in a time ideally suited for such a collective effort. That alone should raise suspicion about the intentions of those courting the US on disarmament. Other recent reports are offered below.
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com
Russia Still Opposes US Plan for Missile Shield in Eastern Europe
Russia Wants Deeper Cuts in Numbers of Nuclear Warheads
Next Round of US-Russian Arms Talks Set for June 23
Russia Ready to Reduce Nuclear Arms
Russia, US Begin Talks Over New Arms Control Pact
Russia, US Work on New Missile Pact
Are U.S.-Russian Relations Warming?
July 8th, 2009 at 12:58 am
In Russia Obama took pains to chastise the U.S. daring to think that we brought about the end of the cold war, and he said the Europeans definitely took exception to that view. Yeah, well…as you said it didn’t happen because we were a weak nation - just the opposite.
With the last nuclear non-proliferation treaty, I think I’m right in saying that the U.S. was the only vital country that met the goal, AND we did it five years early.
We know what we can expect from Russia. No talks today about Iran. Why? Because Putin has plans for Iran.
Kudos to Rubin for putting it out there. I completely missed both of these.
You have a terrific list of sources here. I’ll avail myself of them. Thank you very much!
July 8th, 2009 at 6:17 am
I suppose part of the reason for the current no nukes talk could be coincidence due to previous treaties/arrangements coming due for renewal. But then, go figure, all parties would have been aware of that for some time now.
What may really be coincidence is DPRK and Iran rattling a nuke sabre. Which makes no nukes talks silly. What ‘rogue’ state will forfeit the nuke bargaining chip just because original members of ‘the club’ talk disarmament? And then there is the case of India. It bothered me when Bush, et al, made last year’s nuke deals with 2nd largest population on the planet. If nothing else it was obvious the home of Bollywood was getting special treatment. I saw no logic in the entire matter.
Rubin does good work. Thanks for the comment on the references but it was too easy. I use VOA all the time and repub articles here. But since Obamanation I am observing some troubling ‘coincidences’ at VOA as well. Perhaps a bit subtle but they are there. A change in editorial tone and coverage as well as many new names in the bylines.
Parting note: The most important phrase in this post is from Rubin’s piece. The cold war didn’t end by America disarming itself. But I would like to add that the Soviet Union, IMHO, met with its demise from spending itself into oblivion on the cold war. Now the US faces that same fate if we continue down the road we’re on. READ THAT liberals!!!