5-21-2020
Trump condemned for ditching treaty that has ‘helped prevent nuclear war for nearly three decades’
Very reckless decision. In the middle of a pandemic, the last thing we need is more instability.
This move puts our European allies in harm’s way, hands Putin another win, and tears down yet another arms control treaty that benefits U.S. national security.
“Today’s announcement is part of a troubling pattern,” ACA executive director Daryl G. Kimball said Thursday.
“The Open Skies Treaty is not the first, and may not be the last, nuclear or conflict risk reduction agreement this administration has withdrawn from without a viable strategy for replacement.”
“Failure to take up Russia’s offer to extend by five years the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which the administration has threatened to do, would compound the damage,” Kimball warned, “and further heighten the risk of unconstrained military and nuclear competition between the United States and Russia at a time when the world can ill afford it.”
“Once again, Donald Trump’s belligerent approach to foreign policy has put us all at risk.”
In a move that alarmed nuclear experts, anti-war activists, and policymakers around the world, the U.S. government notified international partners on Thursday that President Donald Trump is withdrawing the country from the Treaty
“Trump and enablers are systematically undoing the systems [put] in place at end of cold war to prevent accidental conflict and escalation.”
—Jon Wolfsthal, Global Zero
The Open Skies Treaty (OST),
which has over 30 other party states, was signed by then-U.S. Secretary of State James Baker under President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and entered into force a decade later.
The agreement aims to build trust and reduce the risk of war through unarmed aerial surveillance over territories of all participants.
“Effective six months from tomorrow, the United States will no longer be a party to the treaty,
” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Thursday.
The treaty is the third major arms agreement Trump has ditched since taking office in 2017—
defying concerns about the global consequences in all three instances.
He bailed on the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018
and began the process of exiting the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia in February 2019.
The Open Skies Treaty has built trust, provided stability, and eased tensions between the United States, Russia, and 32 other countries across the Euro-Atlantic region,” Tierney added.
“The transparency it provides has helped prevent miscalculations and misunderstandings that could have otherwise led to conflict. In fact, the treaty has been providing vital information to the United States and its allies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Arms Control Association (ACA) director for disarmament and threat reduction policy is a slap in the face to Congress as it violates notification requirements written into law last year.”
“Today’s announcement is part of a troubling pattern,” ACA executive director Daryl G. Kimball said Thursday.
“The Open Skies Treaty is not the first, and may not be the last, nuclear or conflict risk reduction agreement this administration has withdrawn from without a viable strategy for replacement.”
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