U.S.-Russian Arms Control: A New Paradigm.

摘要

The United States and Russia concluded the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (NST) in April 2010. The Obama Administration sees the treaty as a key step in its campaign to reduce the proliferation of nuclear weapons and material worldwide, and the administration clearly wants another arms control agreement with Russia to lend more support to that effort. However, the conclusion of another bilateral agreement could prove problematic. The United States and Russia have several major differences in strategic outlook, doctrine, and weapons development that will get in the way. The United States, for example, believes that terrorist groups and rouge states armed with nuclear weapons pose a far bigger threat to security than Russia's nuclear arsenal does. Its doctrine and weapons development focus on nonproliferation and missile defense. Russia still views the United States, NATO, and China as major threats and relies on nuclear weapons to offset perceived imbalances in conventional capability. Instead of attempting to conclude another 'traditional' bilateral arms control treaty, this paper argues that the two sides would be better served by focusing on other nonproliferation and threat reduction activities that better support the long-term security requirements of both countries.