Disarmament - a new START

[intaglio]

I am very surprised at DU, there is a new disarmament treaty and there is no thread started on it on DU yet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2010/03/100326_us_russia_missile.shtml

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=2732772

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jpL14EF8pHp2Wd061DG7BdFQhBiAD9EMQSPO0

US and Russia have agreed to a 30% reduction in there arsenals and this after GWB spent years ignoring or sabotaging such an agreement. Now START cheering some more good news!!!

[Cal Carpenter]

1. Which wars has disarmament avoided or ended?

Has it ever significantly changed our military policy? Reduced the budget?

Do these treaties make the deaths of our troops, Afghanis and Iraqis (just to name a few) any less tragic?

Disarmament treaties aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

It's not a START, it's an illusion and a distraction.

They don't prevent or end war, they don't prevent or end military spending at the expense of other societal needs, they just give some people (esp those far removed from the reality of military violence) the false comfort of thinking fewer lethal weapons are 'out there'. Meanwhile the military manufacturers and contractors are still working full steam ahead..

hmm...

[rucky]

2. There was a thread saying it needed 67 votes in the Senate to ratify.

so that pretty much ends the discussion, I guess.