The White House announced plans last week to back out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), an international treaty established in 1987 to prevent the creation and testing of missiles with ranges between 300 and 3,400 miles. The plan to leave the treaty has been met with sharp criticism from all around the political spectrum and puts the already strained relationship between the main actors in the treaty —the United States, Russia and China —at even greater odds. Andrei Belousov, head of the Russian government’s department of nonproliferation and arms control, confirmed on Saturday that “Russia is preparing for war” in retaliation to claimed attacks on its principles and values.
Put into place by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, the INF was meant to end production of middle-range nuclear missiles that were beginning to escalate tension at the Russian-European border. The weapons banned by the treaty could hit US allies in Europe with only a few minutes warning. Because of the treaty, nearly 3,000 of these missiles were destroyed by both sides, disproportionately more by the USSR than by the US.
President Trump has demonstrated a history of withdrawing from similar agreements in the past. In 2017, he backed out of the United States nuclear deal with Iran, citing what he saw as a “murderous regime” that was covertly producing nuclear weapons. His reasons for backing out of the INF treaty are similar, believing that Russia has been dishonoring the agreement for several years and producing these weapons in violation of the treaty. The missile in question, the SSC-8, has been in production for a few years, but was officially recognized by the Russian government in 2017. While Russia acknowledges that the missile exists, they deny that it has an effective range within the ranges set by the treaty. Certain American-made missiles, notably the Aegis Ashore System, could also be in violation of the treaty — leading the Russian government to point out the double standard in the President’s accusations. Moscow has expressed interest in resolving the disputes through talks, while Washington has preferred not to meet, leading to Trump’s current actions. “We’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we’re not allowed to,” said Trump about his reasons for pulling the US out of the agreement.
Mikhail Gorbachev has denounced the plan, warning of a new arms race that he believes will rise out of the US nuclear stance. “A new arms race has been announced,” Gorbachev wrote in a piece for The New York Times, “The United States has in effect taken the initiative in destroying the entire system of international treaties and accords that served as the underlying foundation for peace and security following World War II.” Gorbachev has not been the only critic of Trump’s actions and with the “[preparation] for war” announced by Moscow, Trump’s hardline approach to the treaty could lead to escalated missile production from both sides.
Brendan Lordan is a second-year student majoring in English writing. BL895080@wcupa.edu