You may have heard or read about START, the STrategic Arms Reduction Treaty, that RUssia and the US had signed in 2010, which is pretty much the prolongation of what the Soviet Union and the US had signed a few decades earlier. Apparently, START is the last remaining arms control treaty between the two super duper nuclearly weaponized countries, since 2019, when the US, followed by Russia, exited another nuclear treaty, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).
The issue at hand with START is that the US and Russia were supposed to have discussed the treaty and its renewal in a scheduled meeting in Cairo between November 29 and December 6. At the last minute, however, Russia postponed it indefinitely. Their argument was that the US has denied entry of Russians for the inspection of the sites, which was apparently a part of the treaty, so the Russians first suspended their permission for the Americans to do the same in Russia, and now have suspended the discussions.
On the surface this seems scary. In the current context of world hostility, which could lead to an existential situation for countries and world order systems, we should be concerned with this suspension of the last remaining treaty between the two heavily armed nuclear powers. Or maybe not so much!
You see, based on what I have understood, START limits the number of nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles for the two countries, and the numbers are the following:
- 1,550 warheads for each country;
- No more than 700 Intercontinental and ballistic missiles; and finally
- No more than 800 nuclear weapon delivery vehicles.
Now this means 1,550 warheads for each country, with each bomb having 30 to 50 times the power of Hiroshima/Nagasaki explosions. Based on a quick calculation this means under START each country can destroy 1,550 areas/regions/cities about 2-3 times the surface of Hiroshima! And that is not talking about the radioactive clouds that will cover the planet.
So yes, the suspension is worrisome, but practically speaking, START is irrelevant to the protection of the security on Earth. The limits are so high that such «a high limit, kills the benefits of the limit», which leads to MADness (Mutually Assured Destruction), as our only hope for non-destruction through nuclear war. Quite a sad realization for a specie that considers itself to be the master of species!!
Paris, December 5, 2022
Zeejay