US and Russia agree nuclear cuts

[Biggles]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8136918.stm

Well good news if you ask me, I thought that there would be hard to find an agreement between Russia and USA in these days, regarding anything really.

Let's just hope that this will actually happen...

[SUBMAN1]

Does it really matter? This is more symbolic than anything else. The numbers they are talking about are about the numbers of actual deployed weapons anyway, so not much changes.

This is just a feel good thing for the rest of us.

-S

So the US removes 30% of the warheads in the ready stockpile. They are about at the end of their useful life in any case. Russia will do the same.

No alert weapons will come offline. In fact more MIRV'ed weapons will deploy.

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by CastleBravo

So the US removes 30% of the warheads in the ready stockpile. They are about at the end of their useful life in any case. Russia will do the same.

No alert weapons will come offline. In fact more MIRV'ed weapons will deploy.

Thanks for clarifying.

-S

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by CastleBravo

So the US removes 30% of the warheads in the ready stockpile. They are about at the end of their useful life in any case. Russia will do the same.

No alert weapons will come offline. In fact more MIRV'ed weapons will deploy.

Precisely....but it better than an escalation in numbers I suppose.

[Max2147]

The basic idea behind these treaties is to ensure that the other guy also reduces his stockpile. Both countries want to reduce their stockpile, but neither will do so unless they know the other will do so as well. That's what arms control treaties are for.

[Tchocky]

This is good news.
It lends credibility to calls for other nations to reduce/abstain from nuclear weapons. It shows that the two largest holders of nukes are serious about reducing weapons levels.

It means that roughly 28% of the world's nuclear weapons are marked for removal.
It's good to see Russia and the US agreeing on something without any headline-grabbing tension.

Good news is a little boring, but there you go.

[Aramike]

Originally Posted by SUBMAN1

Does it really matter? This is more symbolic than anything else. The numbers they are talking about are about the numbers of actual deployed weapons anyway, so not much changes.

This is just a feel good thing for the rest of us.

-S

Exactly right. These types of things (remember the START treaties?) are generally designed for both nation's leaders to get a little good PR for eliminating some obsolete inventory that they would likely eliminate regardless.

[nikimcbee]

I'm surprised BHO hasn't given the farm away on this one.

Originally Posted by Aramike

Exactly right. These types of things (remember the START treaties?) are generally designed for both nation's leaders to get a little good PR for eliminating some obsolete inventory that they would likely eliminate regardless.

News flash....START II was never even ratified, by the Duma or the Senate. And reductions still occured.

[Aramike]

Originally Posted by CastleBravo

News flash....START II was never even ratified, by the Duma or the Senate.

That's my point.