Nearly 15 years after the indefinite ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by 189 nation states in May of 1995, The United States and Russia are now on the verge of taking a substantial step in reaching the second major pillar laid out indirectly by the original NPT protocol. On April 8, 2010, President Medvedev of Russia, and President Obama of the US, will sign the newest version of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), effectively calling for the reduction, by nearly a half, of the nuclear weapon stockpiles of each country, as well as setting a new limit of 1,500 deployable warheads starting in 2017. These steps fall in line with the NPT’s non-proliferation and disarmament pillars, essentially paving the way to achieve the treaties ultimate goal for peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Today the Obama Administration announced the findings of the Nuclear Posturing Review (NPR), which puts the nuclear policy consensus adopted by the United States Department of Defense on the table for the entire world to see. Essentially, the NPR report states that the United States will not seek to expand on, nor create new stockpiles of nuclear weapons and delivery systems. In addition, the United States will not seek to deploy nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear nation which has signed on to the NPT. However, the report also acknowledges the need for the US to maintain a trimmed down, yet deployable stockpile of nukes in the case that a non-treaty abiding nation should attempt to proliferate with their own weapons on the United States or its allies.
These sentiments were shared in President Obama’s comments on the findings, where he stated “we will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states that are party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and in compliance with their nuclear nonproliferation obligations,” and on our readiness to respond to military threats; “so long as nuclear weapons exist, we will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal that guarantees the defense of the United States, reassures allies and partners, and deters potential adversaries.” Also confirmed by the President’s statements was his continued support of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, pledging to uphold the guidelines of the ban on testing nuclear weapons systems, despite the opposition by some that the treaty is being abused by countries like North Korea and Iran.
These moves by the Obama Administration are part of a broader goal of ridding the world of nuclear threats. The policy changes also acknowledge the shift in concern from nation against nation proliferation, to a focus on disarming rogue states and removing potential nuclear terror threats. The questions raised by more hawkish lawmakers revolve around whether we will be perceived as weak due to the slimming down of our warhead stockpiles. Will rogue nations feel more empowered by our decision to pursue a non-nuclear based national security strategy? Or, as many centrist believe, will this action by the United States move to further isolate nations, such as Iran, who have non-peaceful nuclear ambitions? Though many will say we are made weaker by participating in the NPT and other global anti-proliferation efforts, an argument can be made to the contrary which leads us to rediscover our core values and the ultimate purpose of our military.
If we are to emerge as the 21st century’s leader in core democratic values, as well as in pure military might, we may want to consider the impact of being a believable role model for other emerging democracies and rogue states. Those nations who seek to become part of a nuclear weapon free union of nations should be able to look to the United States as the ultimate example of nuclear responsibility. By setting a new precedent for non-nuclear engagement, and by relying on our powerful conventional arsenal of weaponry and drone technology, we can effectively position ourselves to move forward the pillars of the NPT in the years to come.
We should ask the bigger question of whether today’s action, coupled with a return to the pre-Bush principals of not pursuing conflict preemptively, will ultimately lead rogue nations towards the pursuit of peaceful nuclear ambitions. Only time will tell if this will be the case, and our future actions will dictate whether we can truly lead this effort going forward. Still, there is now a chance that we will look back in great pride to the historic events of today and April 8th as unifying landmarks in the ongoing pursuit of global peace and prosperity by the United States and its partner nations around the world.
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