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Friday, April 1, 2016

What Strange News -- Russia is Violating Nuclear Arms Treaty

As president Obama's term comes to an end, we are witnessing just how little other countries think of him.  They all watched Obama reach a laughable deal with Iran on its nuclear program.  The goal was to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.  Obama agreed to a deal that guarantees Iran nuclear weapons in ten years and pays the Iranians $150 billion immediately to boot.  Iran followed receipt of the cash with a series of missile tests that had been banned by the UN but which the nuclear agreement made possible by changing the prohibition to a request.  And all the other countries understand that the Iranian deal came about because Obama was desperate to get an agreement, any agreement.  It did not matter what the agreement said, just that it took place.  It was something else Obama could check off his list.

The world had also watched Obama draw a red line in Syria with chemical weapons and then erase that line when the Assad regime crossed it.  Obama also backed down in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine in Crimea and the eastern region of that country.  They saw Obama get pushed by events into announcing the goal to destroy ISIS and then watched as Obama used only a feeble force to honor his pledge.  It's clear to all that Obama just wants to avoid any big problems in his remaining time in office.

That's why it's no surprise that we learned today that Russia has broken the Nuclear Arms Treaty.  Just a few years ago, Obama signed this treaty with Russia.  It limited deliverable nuclear weapons on both sides to 1550.  That was the number that Russia had at the time, but it was less than the USA had.  As a result, Russia had to make no changes in its arsenal, but the USA had to remove weapons from deployment.  Now, just a short time later, the Russians are in the process of increasing the deployment of weapons of this sort.  Russia is adding MIRV warheads to some of its missiles and it is now well over the limits set by the treaty.  There is no American response to this violation.

Without a doubt, Russian president Vladimir Putin understands that Obama will just back down in the face of this treaty violation.  Maybe Obama will send John Kerry to discuss the situation; maybe not.  One thing is certain, however:  there will be no real response from the USA.  Obama has to be the weakest president of the modern era.  Even Jimmy Carter was a tower of strength and resolve compared to the current man of mush.

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