The goal of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is to achieve further reductions in nuclear weapons between the two countries after the 1991 START II expired in December. But in addition to the tangible achievement of reducing nuclear arms on both sides, this START would give the Obama administration a victory in foreign affairs, it will reconcile part of the deepening divide between the US and Russia that has occurred in recent years, and it will show the world’s nuclear states that the two nuclear superpowers are still dedicated to a planet free from nuclear weapons. Ratifying the treaty will give a boost to the American reputation worldwide, which it sorely needs.
On the domestic level, the benefits will be twofold for President Obama.
First, if the treaty is ratified by the Senate, which it must be by a two-thirds vote, it will be the President’s first major victory in foreign affairs. Coming off of a controversial and hard-fought domestic victory in health care, the ratification of START would show his ability to manage both international and domestic affairs. It will also serve as justification for his Nobel Peace Prize, giving him credibility both inside and outside the country.
Second, some Republicans must ratify the treaty in order for it to pass. The initiative to ratify the treaty is being spearheaded by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, respectively. Sen. Lugar is well schooled in the arenas of nuclear arms control and reduction and has called for the Senate to “work quickly to achieve ratification” of the treaty. This bipartisan effort could be a step towards reconciliation (no pun intended) between the two increasingly polarized ends of the political spectrum in Washington and pave the way towards more bipartisan effort on future legislation.
On the national level, the treaty would do much to improve relations between the United States and Russia, which faltered during the Bush administration.
What is perhaps the most important aspect of the treaty is not the number of weapons reduced but the transparency that will result from certain provisions intended to bolster trust and communication between the two nations. Under the proposed treaty, the US and Russia will have better knowledge of where each other’s weapons are and the status of each other’s disarmament.
With this improved trust, the United States can expect better cooperation from Russia on difficult international issues like the development of the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Russia has long had issues of self-esteem and a need to be acknowledged as a major power by the rest of the world. The START treaty and its predecessors grant Russia the satisfaction of being recognized as the most powerful nuclear adversary to the United States, making them more open and affable to cooperation, while still achieving levels of disarmament.
Lastly, on the international level, the START treaty will show the rest of the world, and especially the nuclear weapons states, that the two greatest nuclear superpowers are still committed to denuclearization.
In his speech last year in Prague, the venue for the symbolic signing with President Medvedev this week, President Obama voiced his desire for a world free from nuclear weapons. While the process, as the President recognized in that speech, will take time, the START treaty is an important mileage mark on the road to nuclear zero.
America can only stand to gain from this treaty. We will still maintain a substantial nuclear arsenal, and thus an effective deterrent. Yet our country has the opportunity to show that it has a leader dedicated to an open and proactive foreign policy, a chance to reconcile partisanship domestically, the ability to reach out to a former adversary in the hopes of promoting peace and cooperation, and the power to inspire denuclearization worldwide.
If this treaty is ratified, it can be nothing but beneficial for citizens of the US and the world alike, and for our posterity, who may someday enjoy a world free from the threat of nuclear annihilation.
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