On Friday, March 26, Barack Obama proudly announced the completion of the START Treaty to reduce the stockpile of nuclear warheads in Russia and the US by almost 30%. The news conference was packed and well planned in advance. In Russia the president was too busy dressing down Olympic athletes for a combined poor performance at the Vancouver Olympics to hold a press conference. The real power in Russia, Prime Minister Putin, was busy talking about dangerous spring flooding. Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, was left to quickly assemble an announcement in a little Kremlin backroom after hearing of the big US announcement. The difference in treatment between both countries clearly shows who won the negotiations.
For the US the treaty will be held up as an Obama ‘change’ that we can believe in. The spin has already been pumping out that it is a step towards complete nuclear disarmament. Given the development of ‘small’ tactical nuclear bombs in the US arsenal that is quite a stretch of the imagination. Of course the spin continues that the US relationship with Russia has been reset and the dawn of a new era of cooperation is underway. Yet another fantasy that some in the US may actually start to believe. In Russia there are no such illusions.
The treaty will be seen in Russia as a complete compromise with the Americans. Pretty much the worst thing imaginable short of higher taxes on Vodka and cigarettes. Of course the spin in Russia will be much easier with effective state control over television and newsprint media. In fact for months now the Missile Defense Shield issue has disappeared despite the US renewing its commitment to building one in Hungary this time. The spin already happening in Russia was to keep the issue off the front pages so that when the Start Treaty was announced it could be divorced from Missile Defense. A clever way to save a little face when everyone knows that the two issues are really one and the same. Heck, even Putin was shouting to everyone that would listen not too many months ago that both issues are related. Of course that will be forgotten in the media controlled spin of the new Start treaty.
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Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
Great article, Noel. Sounds like a big win for Obama. Good for him and good for US.
2 - roger nowosielski
I'm just curious, Noel, what kind of a response you'll get from our resident right-wingers, in any.
Most likely, they'll accuse the present administration of cowardice for reducing our nuclear weapons arsenal and for succumbing to the Russkies.
It goes without saying the sitting president can do no right.
3 - roger nowosielski
I'm just curious, Noel, what kind of a response you'll get from our resident right-wingers, in any.
Most likely, they'll accuse the present administration of cowardice for reducing our nuclear weapons arsenal and for succumbing to the Russkies.
It goes without saying the sitting president can do no right.
4 - Clavos
It goes without saying the sitting president can do no right
True, but his fault, not ours.