Don’t Reward Russia’s Iranian Complicity With New Start

Philip Reboli / August 19, 2010

The New Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (New START) has been in the news for over a year now. First there were the negotiations with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the fall of 2009. Then President Obama signed the new treaty with president Medvedev in April 2010. Now the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has two options: put the treaty up for a vote and send it to the Senate or acquiesce to a GOP request to release the negotiating record to the committee.

Before the Senate decides they should first consider whether this agreement is really going to change Russian behavior. It’s not. In fact it’s more of business as usual. Despite the Obama administration’s efforts to improve Russia-U.S. relations ,Russia has continued its push to regain lost influence in its near abroad.  A new nuclear arms reductions treaty is not going to end Russia’s historical desire for neighbors that are not just friendly but supplicant. (more…)