U.S. and Russia Move Toward Reducing Number of Nuclear Weapons

Interview with John Isaacs, executive director and president of the Council for a Liveable World and executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, conducted by Scott Harris

President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmetri Medvedev, meeting in Moscow on July 6, signed a joint preliminary agreement to work toward cutting the number of deployed nuclear warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 within seven years -- a reduction from the previous ceiling of 2,200. The leaders also agreed to limit the number of land-based intercontinental missiles, submarine-based missiles and bombers to between 500 and 1,100, down from the previous limit of 1,600 delivery vehicles.

The U.S. - Russian agreement, if ratified by the U.S. Senate, would replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, which expires in December. Obama will host a nuclear security summit meeting in Washington next March where he hopes to make more substantial cuts in the world's nuclear arsenal and limit proliferation.

While the two leaders agreed to fight the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea, Medvedev and Obama did not resolve their nation's differences over the U.S. plan to deploy a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, initiated under the Bush administration to deter a future missile threat from Iran. Russia strongly opposes the plan as a threat to its security. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with John Isaacs, executive director and president of the Council for a Livable World and executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, who outlines the progress made in Moscow and the reasons why the U.S. and Russia live with legacy of the Cold War more than 18 years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

John Isaacs, executive director and president of the Council for a Livable World and executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Contact the Council by calling (202) 543-4100 or visit their website at liveableworld.org

Related Links:

* Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation at www.armscontrolcenter.org

* The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists www.thebulletin.org



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