Dangers for arms race rise with demise of historic nuclear treaty

Source: Passionist JPIC Desk

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has moved the 'Doomsday Clock' 30 seconds closer to midnight, largely due to the Trump administration's Nuclear Posture Review. This policy plans violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which the United States is a party. This treaty requires parties "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament."

In a statement, Pax Christi USA said: 'One day after the United States withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Russia followed suit. Pax Christi USA believes neither the United States nor Russia should withdraw from any treaties which limit the number of nuclear weapons possessed by any nations. In particular, we note that since 1987 the INF Treaty kept both the United States and the then USSR, now Russia, from developing and deploying certain intermediate range nuclear weapons.

Substantive progress on nuclear disarmament concerns all countries. Accordingly, in 2017, the United Nations General Assembly approved the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and that same year, Pope Francis unequivocally condemned possession of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are immoral, and any government which moves to develop a nuclear arsenal or add to its existing nuclear arsenal should be condemned.

A global majority of states are providing leadership for the elimination of nuclear weapons, yet the U.S. and other powers are modernizing their nuclear arsenals instead. Abandoning the INF will intensify this already alarming trend.

Therefore, Pax Christi USA urges the US and Russia to return to the treaty and to begin new arms reduction negotiations as soon as possible."

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who represents the Archdiocese for the Military Services of the United States, on 6 February ) see: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/36487 - in which he said: "I regret to learn of the US government's intention to withdraw from the INF Treaty that has served for over thirty years to reduce nuclear arsenals between the US and Russia significantly." He added: "coupled with the news of the Russian reaction to this decision I am concerned for the potential of a new arms race created by these decisions."