Iowa is Watching the START Treaty Negotiations
by Paul Deaton
"This all sounds great! However; some conservatives
already
have their scheming wheels in motion."
Iowans who follow nuclear disarmament issues are hoping that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton resolves what remaining issues exist between Russia and the United States while she is in Russia today. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) could then be finalized and signed by the parties this spring, and perhaps as early as this fall, ratified by the United States Senate. Hope springs eternal in foreign affairs and among those who follow them. The previous START treaty expired on December 5, 2009.
The benefit of a new START treaty is that the anticipated reductions in the number of nuclear warheads and delivery systems specified by the treaty would help prevent nuclear terrorism and make the United States (and the rest of the world) more secure. With fewer strategic weapons being deployed, there is less chance of nuclear materials being stolen. In addition, the new START agreement will help maintain a healthy nuclear relationship with Russia. Increased verification procedures and improved data sharing would enable a relationship of trust to exist between the two countries.
This all sounds great! However; some conservatives already have their scheming wheels in motion. A moderate Republican senator was recently told by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) “don’t say anything about the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) until the two of us talk.” It is well known that Senator Kyl seeks to attach conditions regarding CTBT ratification to the expected senate ratification of START. It is also well-known that the Republican senators follow Senator Kyl’s lead on nuclear issues.
Former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton said of the START negotiations, “Mr. Obama was going too far. ‘The number they are proposing, for delivery vehicles, is shockingly low.’” Bolton has been a drumbeat of negativity towards President Obama’s nuclear disarmament initiative. The only thing “shocking” is that anyone continues to listen to Bolton.
During the debate on health care, we discovered the reality of 21st Century Senate politics: partisan gridlock permeates everything in Washington. This includes START, a treaty that has broad, bipartisan support, would enhance national security and would reduce nuclear weapons between the two parties that own the largest number of them. Why should the senior senator from Iowa be beholden to someone like Senator Kyl, who can only be called an extremist?
If what is suggested about Senator Chuck Grassley is true, that he is beholden to Senator Kyl on START, the seniority he built during his senate career is of little value to Iowans. To the extent Senator Grassley has joined the Republican phalanx, the less effective he will be for Iowans on important issues.
Let’s hope President Obama and Secretary Clinton conclude the negotiations on START this week and that both Iowa senators vote for ratification when the treaty is debated by the Senate.
~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. He is also a member of Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility and Veterans for Peace. E-mail Paul Deaton
To read more on this topic, try one of these articles:
New York Times Article “Obama and Medvedev Talk about Arms Treaty,” March 13, 2010.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “Interview with Yevgenia Albats, The New Times,” March 15, 2010.
Global Security Newswire, “New START Deal Near Completion, Clinton Says,” March 16, 2010.
