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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| U.S. Says Russia Tested Missile, Despite Treaty |
| 2014-01-31 |
| The United States informed its NATO allies this month that Russia had tested a new ground-launched cruise missile, raising concerns about Moscow's compliance with a landmark arms control accord. American officials believe Russia began conducting flight tests of the missile as early as 2008. Such tests are prohibited by the treaty banning medium-range missiles that was signed in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the Soviet leader at the time, and that has long been viewed as one of the bedrock accords that brought an end to the Cold War. Beginning in May, Rose Gottemoeller, the State Department's senior arms control official, has repeatedly raised the missile tests with Russian officials, who have responded that they investigated the matter and consider the case to be closed. But Obama administration officials are not yet ready to formally declare the tests of the missile, which has not been deployed, to be a violation of the 1987 treaty. With President Obama pledging to seek deeper cuts in nuclear arms, the State Department has been trying to find a way to resolve the compliance issue, preserve the treaty and keep the door open to future arms control accords. |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #4 Wasn't even a couple of years, honestly a few weeks later he was going at it, and 'Rudenberg?' I believe his name said 'when is the time for war?' and Hitler was quite famous for replying 'it's just a scrap of paper' |
| Posted by: Devilstoenail 2014-01-31 22:37 |
| #3 "So, what if we did? What are you going to do about it?" - V. Putin |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2014-01-31 16:07 |
| #2 I'm sure all the eurines who protested US Pershing missiles on European soil will get right on it... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2014-01-31 11:09 |
| #1 I am reminded of Neville Chamberlain's 1938 statement: "We, the German Führer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for two countries and for Europe. "We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again. "We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference, and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe." "My good friends this is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace in our time." A couple of years later WWII was in full swing. We declared war on Japan after Pearl Harbor and Hitler soon after declared war on the U.S. Seldom does appeasement work. It is whistling in the graveyard. Peace through strength is the best policy. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2014-01-31 06:44 |