Russia mooted withdrawal from nuclear arms pact

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/97c0ab8c-9013-11d9-9a51-00000e2511c8.html

Russia confronted the US in recent weeks with the possibility of withdrawing from a key nuclear and conventional missile disarmament treaty that formed the bedrock of arms reduction efforts during the cold war.

At a meeting in Washington in January, Sergei Ivanov, the Russian defence minister, asked Donald Rumsfeld, his US counterpart, how the Bush administration would respond if Russia quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF), the Pentagon said. In a blow to Russian military hawks, a delegation from the Foreign Ministry later travelled to Washington to withdraw the proposal, the Russian source said.

The fact that Russia's military establishment was considering such a radical break with a pillar of the international arms control regime reflected a serious deterioration in relations between Russia and the West.

The Pentagon and State Department said they could not confirm the withdrawal of the Russian proposal.

more

[jpak]

1. I wonder if this has anything to do with the deployment

of Russia's new "unstoppable" cruise missiles.

Are they planning to deploy a ground-launched version???

And why would ChimpCo care about eliminating another cornerstone arms control agreement (like the "flawed" ABM treaty).

[w4rma]

2. blow? Did they mean bow (to Russian military hawks), instead? (nt)

[NNN0LHI]

3. "blow" was the word the writer meant to use n/t

[applegrove]

4. You know that the UN with American and European backing

could start an organization that has its own resources and army and scientists and huge big teeth. It almost has that except USA would never give anything UN any teeth. It could have made nuclear proliferation dead. That would mean that everyone in the world would have to leave their borders open to this organization to investigate nuclear options and heavily, heavily regulate all nuclear plants. My gosh - the organization could even run the plants and have a total monopoly on any information on how to build bombs.

We could have headed in that direction.

But instead - we have a new arms race.

[Rex]

5. So we are the West now?

Well no, Mexico doesn't like us (no one south likes us). Canada has just said no to our using their airspace. Nope, I think it should read the U.S. is having a serious deterioration with the rest of the world.

[Moderator]

6. kick to combine

[seemslikeadream]

7. Russia confronted Rumsfeld with threat to quit key nuclear treaty

By Hubert Wetzel, Demetri Sevastopulo and Guy Dinmore in,Washington
Published: March 9 2005 02:00 | Last updated: March 9 2005 02:00

Russia's defence ministry recently confronted the US with the possibility of withdrawing from a key nuclear missile disarmament treaty that formed the bedrock of arms reduction efforts during the cold war.

At a January meeting in Washington, Sergei Ivanov, the Russian defence minister, asked Donald Rumsfeld, his US counterpart, how the Bush administration would respond if Russia quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, the Pentagon said.

In a blow to Russian military hawks, a delegation from the Foreign Ministry later travelled to Washington to withdraw the proposal, a Russian insider said.

The fact that Russia's military establishment was considering such a radical break with a pillar of the international arms control regime reflected a serious deterioration in relations between Russia and the West.
more
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/0cdfdaf8-9043-11d9-9a51-00000e2511c8.html

[xray s]

8. Plus they are working on wiggle waggle nukes

Missles that'll render any Star Wars system ineffective (like the Russians gotta worry about that!)

[TahitiNut]

9. Yup. The key word is "ballistic" in ABM.

It's impossible enough to hit a bullet with a bullet ... but hitting a self-propelled, maneuvering bullet with a bullet is more impossible. Once the "firing solution" is calculated and the interceptor 'bullet' is launched, any change of trajectory nullifies the "firing solution." That's why the ABM has never been claimed to be effective against multiple-warhead missiles - they don't compute.

[katsy]

10. the Russians need not worry, but...

America grovels at the feet of the Chinese also.

A Syria/Iran/N. Korea alliance would have our stupid government grovelling at their feet also.

A Cuba/Venezuela/Chile alliance would have shrub pissing in his pants.

Okay, who have I left out? Is there any country left that shrub hasn't pissed off? Homeland security my a$$.

[xray s]

11. Italy- Germany -Japan

Since Bush seems to have us going back in time as far as our foreign relations are concerned, might as well resurrect the original Axis of Evil

[katsy]

12. How could I have forgotten THAT axis!

:dunce:

[Ms. Clio]

13. Well, if the U.S. can withdraw from treaties, other countries can, too

What goes around comes around.

13 December, 2001, 18:17 GMT
America withdraws from ABM treaty

US President George W Bush has officially announced that the US will withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty with Russia.

"I have concluded the ABM treaty hinders our government's ability to develop ways to protect our people from future terrorist or rogue-state missile attacks," Mr Bush announced following a meeting with his National Security Council.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the move was not unexpected but that he considered it a "mistake".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1707812.stm

[Dave Reynolds]

14. Happy Cold War II, everybody!

:argh:

[applegrove]

15. Now Rumsfield can build his new bombs. Megalomaniac only has

ten years left on the old timer and is working on leaving us all something to remember him by.

[xchrom]

16. rumsfeld = chief lunatic running the asylum.