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Reduce Arsenals, Prevent New Nuclear States

To continue the success of the Non- Proliferation treaty it is essential the nuclear-armed states steadily work to reduce their arsenals. The leadership must come from America and Russia who together have over 95 percent of all nuclear weapons in the world.

The Most Successful Security Pact in History, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Joe Cirincione, 6 Mar 11,“……….Reduce Arsenals, Prevent New Nuclear States The U.S. and other nuclear powers must uphold their end of the bargain by reducing their nuclear arsenals. If they do not, other states over time may begin to drop their commitment to not pursue nuclear weapons.Most analysts understand the essential link. The interim report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States correctly notes:

If the U.S. by its actions indicates to other nations that we are moving seriously to decrease the importance and role of nuclear weapons, we increase our chance of getting the kind of cooperation we need to deal effectively with the dangers of proliferation.

As the commission concluded:

What we do in our own nuclear weapon program has a significant effect on (but does not guarantee) our ability to get that cooperation. In particular, this cooperation will be affected by what we do in our weapons laboratories, what we do in our deployed nuclear forces, what kind of nuclear policies we articulate, and what we do regarding arms control treaties (e.g., START and CTBT).
The historical record supports this conclusion. To continue the success of the Non- Proliferation treaty it is essential the nuclear-armed states steadily work to reduce their arsenals. The leadership must come from America and Russia who together have over 95 percent of all nuclear weapons in the world.

After 41 years of remarkable, though imperfect, success under the NPT, it’s vital that we see the treaty to its conclusion: the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.

Joe Cirincione: The Most Successful Security Pact in History

March 8, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war