Even the right-wing Cato Institute wants USA to deal with Ukraine crisis by diplomacy, not weaponry

Washington has also mentioned steps to “enhance deterrence” on the continent, which could entail the forward deployment of additional U.S. nuclear weapons.

As Clouds Gather in Eastern Europe, Nuclear Diplomacy is More Important Than Ever

More must be done to keep tensions over Ukraine from deepening nuclear instability. Defense One BY ERIC GOMEZ, 4 Feb 22, DIRECTOR, DEFENSE POLICY STUDIES, CATO INSTITUTE

The risk that a Russian invasion of Ukraine by conventional forces could lead to the use of nuclear weapons appears relatively low, but their shadow is never completely absent from a crisis involving nuclear-armed states. Moreover, this crisis—no matter how it ends—seems likely to lead toward more strategic instability, not less. As preoccupied as U.S. diplomats must be with the threat of imminent conventional invasion, they must also work urgently to launch confidence-building measures that might prevent a nuclear war

The recent back-and-forth between Washington and Moscow has been free of explicit nuclear threats, but there has been some nuclear signaling. As Russia massed forces near Ukraine in December, its foreign ministry released two proposed treaties, one for NATO and one for the United States. The draft of the NATO treaty included an article prohibiting the deployment of missiles previously outlawed by the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The draft of the U.S. treaty had more explicit references to nuclear weapons, including pledges to not deploy them outside national territory and to not train personnel from non-nuclear countries in their use—a reference to NATO nuclear-sharing arrangements

Washington’s response to the buildup has centered on sanctions and deploying conventional military forces to NATO allies in eastern Europe. But it has also mentioned steps to “enhance deterrence” on the continent, which could entail the forward deployment of additional U.S. nuclear weapons. And while the Biden administration has said that it will not send U.S. troops to defend Ukraine, which helps reduce the likelihood of a NATO-Russia conflict, it has also signaled that it will send more forces to eastern Europe if Russia attacks Ukraine.

For its part, Moscow has warned that it will respond if NATO expands its troop presence in eastern Europe. Among its options are moving nuclear weapons closer to western Europe. Such moves could lead NATO to add even more forces to deter an attack on member countries, thus setting off a spiral of actions and counter-actions with no clear way to break the cycle.

Ultimately, this spiral is likely to put more nuclear forces in closer proximity, inherently decreasing stability and increasing the risk of accidental war. It may also prompt more calls to expand the U.S. nuclear arsenal, which in turn could make it harder for Washington and Moscow to reach new agreements on nuclear arms control…………………Another potential reassurance measure would be negotiating mutual limitations on the deployment of missiles previously outlawed by the INF Treaty. Russia has already signaled such limitations in its December demands, and the United States reportedly responded positively to the idea of mutual limitations

he faint but darkening nuclear shadow over the Ukraine crisis means that these kinds of ideas and discussions are no diplomatic side show. They are crucial to warding off instability of an even more potentially devastating type.

https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2022/02/clouds-gather-eastern-europe-nuclear-diplomacy-more-important-ever/361546/

February 5, 2022 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized

3 Comments »

The Cato supports nuke war w china. They support nuclear energy and nukke bombs. They are supported by the kohn brothers who do the covid propganda want to put everyone in the streets, extreme social Darwinism, dismantling the post office and school system, they support the military and Trump. Who cares what the Cato jerks think. Private prisons crappy health care poverty. The Chinese and Russians will form an alliance. They did not invent nuke warfare and nuke bombs or use nuke bombs like the USA. The Cato was and Ayn Rand fascistsbwere at the forfront of red bating and the long nuclear cold war that continues. . What a bad article. Most Americans don’t want war w Russia. Why put up this drivel. We see it on fox news, w neonazi Carlson. Wolves in sheep’s clothing Cato is . Cato are climate deniers etc etc pronuke, pronuke bombs for heavans sake twiddle dee and twiddle dum w the american elites, fox, MSNBC, the centrist war monger Democrats and fascist repuklicans really wanting similar things and not much good for the world , the USA or children half of merica in poverty. Homelessness

Comment by Terra jones | February 5, 2022 | Reply
- Yes – all that you say is true. And you’re probably right. I was just fascinated to see the Cato Institute not recommending more weapons to Ukraine, particularly nuclear weapons. The US idea of diplomacy is to threaten others with nuclear annihilation. I just wondered if the Cato article rerpresented a chink in the American certainty that they have the right to do so-called diplomacy by such threats.
  
  Comment by Christina Macpherson | February 5, 2022 | Reply
  - Trump was glad to push hypersonic nukes, tactical nukes, and nukes in space, with a space force. He started new nuke race w the russians. The Mercer’s the kochs, The biggest supporters of the Cato institute are all for in big wall street profits. Nuclear ships to Mars . This is just posturing. More crapola from another shade of elite nukists. They also support nuclear power strongly
    
    Comment by Terra jones | February 6, 2022