President Obama seeks Russia deal to slash nuclear weapons

[struggle4progress]

Source: The Times

From The Times
February 4, 2009
Tim Reid in Washington

President Obama will convene the most ambitious arms reduction talks with Russia for a generation, aiming to slash each country’s stockpile of nuclear weapons by 80 per cent.

The radical treaty would cut the number of nuclear warheads to 1,000 each, The Times has learnt. Key to the initiative is a review of the Bush Administration’s plan for a US missile defence shield in Eastern Europe, a project fiercely opposed by Moscow.

Mr Obama is to establish a non-proliferation office at the White House to oversee the talks, expected to be headed by Gary Samore, a non-proliferation negotiator in the Clinton Administration. The talks will be driven by Hillary Clinton’s State Department.

No final decision on the defence shield has been taken by Mr Obama. Yet merely delaying the placement of US missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic — which if deployed would cost the US $4 billion annually — removes what has been a major impediment to Russian co-operation on arms reduction ...

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5654836.ece

[HereSince1628]

1. The Cheney admin has moved such a thing many years into the future

Building the trust it will take to pull that off isn't going to be quick or easy.

[russian33]

2. but a good step in the right direction

in my opinion

[HereSince1628]

3. I'd like to believe so...

but one thing I've learned about politicians, and Obama is a politician, is that they do a lot of CYA. They propose things that they know will never be accepted just to be able to say that had a position other than the ugly one where they end up.

I'm open for Obama to surprise me. I hope he does.

[bos1]

4. K&R -- why isn't this being talked about?

Because it's just a leak of a proposed plan? It's a huge deal if it is true, and makes me more proud than ever of President Obama. An 80% cut in nukes!