New START “Remarkable Bipartisan Victory in Hyper-partisan Atmosphere”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 22, 2010
CONTACT: Bridget Nolan , Outreach Coordinator, 202.546.0795, ext. 2113, bnolan@clw.org
Washington D.C. - Council for a Livable World and the Center for Arms Control and Non Proliferation today called the Senate vote on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) “a remarkably bipartisan victory in an intensely hyper-partisan atmosphere.”
After nearly eight months of consideration, the Senate voted 71 – 26 to approve the treaty.
“We are pleased that a bipartisan supermajority in the Senate joined the U.S. military and the national security establishment in supporting a treaty that establishes a lower limit on the number of deployed nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles and ensures the return of U.S. inspectors to monitor and verify Russia’s still enormous nuclear arsenal,” said John Isaacs, Executive Director of Council for a Livable World. “In a political climate paralyzed by partisanship on other issues, this bipartisan vote of approval demonstrates that it’s possible for Senators to put aside political differences in the name of the national interest.”
Isaacs added: “By approving New START, the United States has sent a strong signal to the world that it can be counted on to be a reliable partner and leader in promoting nuclear stability. The treaty will also help buttress cooperative efforts with Russia and others to secure and safeguard nuclear material stockpiles and warheads and maintain and strengthen support for tougher measures against rogue states such as North Korea and Iran.”
New START was debated on the Senate floor for eight days and defeated numerous amendments largely offered by treaty opponents. The treaty requires modest reductions in the deployed strategic nuclear arsenals of the U.S. and Russia and restores an essential means of monitoring and verifying each side’s nuclear forces that has been absent since the START I treaty expired on December 5, 2009.
Kingston Reif, Director of Nuclear Non Proliferation at Council for a Livable World remarked: “Nuclear weapons may have protected us during the Cold War, but today we live in a different time and face new dangers. Massive nuclear arsenals are useless against contemporary threats such as terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons to rogue states such as Iran and North Korea. In the 21st century, mutual reductions in nuclear stockpiles, securing vulnerable nuclear materials, and banning nuclear testing will be the hallmarks of a more safe and secure world.”
Reif added: “New START is an important part of this effort. But it is only the beginning. The U.S. and Russia should take advantage of the momentum created by the approval of New START to pursue negotiations on reductions in all types of nuclear warheads, including non-deployed and non-strategic warheads, in a timely manner.”
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