President Obama’s Nuclear Posture Review

President Obama announced on Monday that limits will be placed on the circumstances in which the United States will use nuclear arms in response to attacks from countries who are in compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. A summit meeting to discuss the move is planned for next week.

President Obama hopes that this treaty will begin the transition to a world where nuclear arms are obsolete.

The treaty announced by Obama to limit the use of nuclear arms, known as The Nuclear Posture Review, commits that the United States will not retaliate with nuclear weapons when attacked with other forms of offense by countries who comply with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The treaty will not apply to powers like Iran and North Korea who have consistently objected to halting nuclear arms production and do not have transparent nuclear programs.

President Obama has and will continue to receive criticism of the decision. While one side claims we should make a commitment to never use nuclear arms first in a situation, the other side claims that we are undermining the very point of having nuclear warheads.

President Obama will also be signing a treaty with Russia in Prague on April 8^th that will halt production of nuclear warheads in both countries and will also reduce the amount of warheads each country could possess. Both countries will be limited to 1,550 warheads, about 30% less than the current amounts. This treaty will replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

President Obama has called a summit meeting with over 40 of the world’s leaders in order to discuss and create tangible plans of action for lowering the risk of nuclear arms falling into the hands of dangerous groups.

While some risk is created by announcing less powerful retaliation strategies, the move towards a world without nuclear arms is necessary. Advancing technology has transformed weaponry, and now humanity and the world at large is at risk when hints of war begin floating around.

Again, it seems like President Obama is creating a step towards actual results as opposed to more conversation and debate. By creating a concrete treaty, the United States can set an example for the rest of the world. We will be making it clear to the world that we believe nuclear arms are too dangerous to humanity as a whole to use as our country’s main source of defense. Our agreement with Russia is also a significant step in the right direction.

These signs of action are refreshing, but they will receive a lot of heated debate.

Do you think these are smart moves by the U.S. or dangerous ones?