Senior Policy Director John Erath spoke with the Daily Mail about the expiration of New START.
John Erath, senior policy director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told the Daily Mail that US leaders had more than a decade to prepare a successor agreement and failed to do so.
‘The expiration of the treaty is a symptom, not the disease,’ Erath said. ‘There’s a lot going on that’s increasing the perception that nuclear war is possible.’
Erath warned that global instability, regional conflicts and weakening diplomatic institutions are converging at a moment when formal nuclear restraints are disappearing.
‘All of these developments are happening, and together they are eroding confidence in our safety,’ he said. ‘They increase the perception that nuclear war is possible. It may not be likely, but the possibility is higher than I feel comfortable with.
‘And on top of all this, we’re losing the last numerical limits on the arsenals of the world’s largest nuclear powers. That’s the big picture.’
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To keep things from getting to a point of no return, Erath told the Daily Mail that ‘What’s needed is leadership and political will.’ Read more
