Last nuclear limitation treaty expires.

 ARE THESE DECISIONS BASED ON FALSE ASSUMPTIONS?

NO LIMITS, NO TRANSPARENCY, COLD WAR 2

Yesterday, the strategic nuclear arms treaty expired, it had been in place since 1991. Originally this treaty limited Nuclear warheads to 6000, then reduced them to 1550 in 2010. It was the last remaining treaty that came about after the breakup of the Soviet Union, All the treaties were ended by the United States.

Trump ended the intermediate range arms treaty in his first term. It was ended, with the advise of John Bolton in the supposed hope of eventually including China in the treaty. Other treaties that have expired is one that limited conventional arms in Europe and one that allowed open flights over each others territory to insure compliance.

Putin has proposed several time that Russia was willing to extend the current treaty for 1 year. His proposals were never responded to by Trump or any of his administration.  

There are indications that this administration is being advised that a new cold war will force Russia into economic problems by not being able to compete in an arms race with the United States. This philosophy is based on the prevailing narrative that the Soviet Union collapsed because it could not keep up with arms spending by the United States, ironically the nation with a $39 trillion debt and a marginal manufacturing base. Of course, a new arms race will be very profitable for those who live by war, death and destruction.

Policies based on false intelligence and false assumptions which usually fail can also be very destructive. In this case it sends the message to the world, that it can expect little efforts at real peace treaties, and only that prevailing in military power will disputes be settled. 

The assumption that military spending brought about the end of the Soviet Union rather than a realization by the leaders of that country that Communism or Socialism was a dead end street and made the appropriate but painful effort to change their economic and political polices. An example that would serve most western nations well, as they flounder in an attempt to preserve their former status.