James Carafano on Disarming New START
Blogging at Big Peace, the Heritage Foundation ‘s James Carafano writes:
“Conservatives too often form ‘circular firing squads,’ going after each other instead of standing together against the bad ideas of the Left.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that with the latest issue sparking internal debate among the Right: the New START nuclear-arms pact between the U.S. and Russia. Opponents include Mitt Romney and others. Meanwhile, several conservative greybeards, including Reagan’s Secretary of State George Shultz, have come out for the treaty.
“Before the more conservatives reach for their guns and start circling, let’s ponder dispassionately ‘What should conservatives think, and how should we act?’
“Before answering that, let me first explain why I think New START should be a non-starter for conservatives.
“Strike 1: New START would force the U.S. to reduce our strategic nuclear weaponry. Not so, with the Russians. Moreover, the verification provisions intended to let us determine what Russia is actually doing with its nuclear arsenal are far weaker than those provided under either the original START or the currently prevailing Moscow Treaty.
“Strike 2: By putting Russia on a more equal nuclear footing with the U.S., New START empowers Russia as a nuclear state. An emboldened nuclear Russia would be destabilizing — potentially leading to renewed nuclear competition between China and Russia and a more aggressive Russia in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.”
Read the rest at Big Peace.
Tags: James Carafano, START