{"id":1661,"date":"2021-01-29T02:41:57","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T02:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/?p=1661"},"modified":"2021-01-29T02:42:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T02:42:14","slug":"bidens-foreign-policies-interview-with-sputnik-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/uncategorized\/bidens-foreign-policies-interview-with-sputnik-english\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden’s Foreign Policies — Interview with Sputnik English"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ANALYSIS – New START Treaty Extension Can Pave Way For Further US, Russia Arms Control Discussions<\/h1>
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<\/i>\u00a0Faizan Hashmi<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/i>\u00a03 days ago<\/span>\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0Tue 26th January 2021 | 12:50 AM<\/span><\/p>

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\"ANALYSIS<\/figure>

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News \/ Sputnik – 26th January, 2021) The extension of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the only remaining legally binding\u00a0agreement<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0nuclear<\/a>\u00a0arms control between\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0United States<\/a>,\u00a0may<\/a>\u00a0pave a way to further Moscow-Washington discussions on arms control, experts told Sputnik.<\/p>

The New START treaty, which limits the US and\u00a0Russia<\/a>‘s\u00a0nuclear<\/a>\u00a0arsenal<\/a>\u00a0to 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles, 1,550\u00a0nuclear<\/a>\u00a0warheads and 800 launchers, is set to expire on\u00a0February<\/a>\u00a05.\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0has offered\u00a0Washington<\/a>\u00a0to extend the treaty for five years without preconditions while the then-US President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0rejected the proposal and called for shorter arms control deal that would include\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0in the future. In the end, the negotiations ended in deadlock.<\/p>

The new US administration led by President Joe Biden on Friday announced that it would seek a five-year extension of the\u00a0nuclear<\/a>\u00a0arms reduction treaty, and\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0welcomed\u00a0Washington<\/a>‘s move. Earlier on Monday, the\u00a0Russian<\/a>\u00a0Foreign Ministry said that a practical work at the level of experts on the treaty’s extension has begun.<\/p>

IF THERE IS A WISH, THERE IS A WAY<\/p>

“I do believe that given both countries want to extend the treaty for five years, they will find a way to do so,” Miles Pomper, a senior fellow at the\u00a0Washington<\/a>\u00a0DC office of the Middlebury Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, told Sputnik.<\/p>

Pomper added that Biden recognized the importance of bringing\u00a0Beijing<\/a>\u00a0into the arms control process but never “indicated an intention to require\u00a0China<\/a>‘s participation” before the extension of New START.<\/p>

According to the expert, the Biden administration will\u00a0try<\/a>\u00a0to somehow involve\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0when they will seek to “strike additional arms control agreements and confidence-building measures.”<\/p>

“Yes, I do believe that agreeing on this extension will lay the groundwork for future arms control discussions. However, this is likely to be a process that will take a long time,” Pomper added.<\/p>

Meanwhile, Nikolai Sokov, a senior fellow at the\u00a0Vienna<\/a>\u00a0Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation, told Sputnik that Biden’s wish to extend New START will most likely\u00a0lead<\/a>\u00a0to its extension.<\/p>

“I think it’s a 90 percent probability, even more, that New START will be extended. The only potential stumbling stone is that\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0needs to ratify the extension in the legislature, which will take time, but can enact a provisional extension that will be in effect until legislative action. If US accepts that procedure, there will be no problem at\u00a0all<\/a>,” Sokov told Sputnik.<\/p>

The expert also said that the US’ interest in including\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0nuclear<\/a>\u00a0arms control treaty will continue but not at the\u00a0same<\/a>\u00a0level as during the\u00a0Trump<\/a>\u00a0administration. According to the expert, calls to include\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0in the deal\u00a0may<\/a>\u00a0prompt\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0to raise the issue of the participation of\u00a0France<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0United Kingdom<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0nuclear<\/a>\u00a0arms control.<\/p>

“I am certain they [US and Russia] will hold consultations, probably in the summer (the new administration will need time to shape its position). Whether these consultations will\u00a0lead<\/a>\u00a0to full-scale negotiations is less certain. Much will depend on whether the parties will agree on the scope,” Sokov said.<\/p>

The expert mentioned that\u00a0Moscow<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Washington<\/a>\u00a0have disagreements on including limitations on missile defense and long-range conventional weapons in the arms control\u00a0agreement<\/a>.<\/p>

“I am not optimistic: in my view,\u00a0agreement<\/a>\u00a0on the scope is unlikely (i.e., we will see a repetition of [former President Barack]\u00a0Obama<\/a>\u00a0years) and in any\u00a0event<\/a>\u00a0will take a long time. Even if the two parties eventually succeed, there will simply be not enough time to complete negotiations until the expiration of New START (2026) – even under the\u00a0best<\/a>\u00a0circumstances and truly cooperative attitude the issues on the agenda will be difficult,” Sokov said.<\/p>

UNCONDITIONAL EXTENSION OR END OF THE DEAL<\/p>

Joshua Pollack, a senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in\u00a0Monterey<\/a>, California, told Sputnik that there was no alternative to an unconditional extension of New START “as there simply is no time for any other approach, short of allowing the treaty to lapse.”<\/p>

“Since both sides have said they would prefer to extend for the full five years allowed under the treaty, I’m confident they will do so. An extension will provide time to negotiate a successor\u00a0agreement<\/a>\u00a0without any lapse in agreed limits or verification practices,” Pollack told Sputnik.<\/p>

According to the expert,\u00a0China<\/a>‘s participation in strategic\u00a0nuclear<\/a>\u00a0arms control is “a good idea over the long term” but is unrelated to the immediate issue of extending New Start.<\/p>

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“Whether\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0and the US can make real headway is unclear. A modest\u00a0agreement<\/a>\u00a0with similar verification measures, slightly lower numerical ceilings, and explicit inclusion of intercontinental-range boost-glide missiles is probably within reach, but to go further probably would require serious concessions that many in the US\u00a0Senate<\/a>\u00a0would oppose. In particular, we’ll have to see how the Biden Administration approaches the question of limiting missile defenses,” Pollack said.<\/p>

John Carlson, who is a member of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for\u00a0Nuclear<\/a>\u00a0Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, also believes that\u00a0Moscow<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Washington<\/a>\u00a0will extend New START for five years as there is a will\u00a0from<\/a>\u00a0both sides.<\/p>

“With the change of Administration in the US, now both the US and\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0want to extend New START for five years, so I have no doubt it will happen. This will help establish a more constructive atmosphere between the two countries, which I expect will\u00a0lead<\/a>\u00a0to engagement on a range of strategic issues,” Carlson said.<\/p>

Carlson added that both sides “see the importance” of including\u00a0Beijing<\/a>\u00a0in arms control discussions but “it never made sense” to do it via New START.<\/p>

NEW START EXTENTION\u00a0MAY<\/a>\u00a0LEAD<\/a>\u00a0TO RENEWAL OF OTHER TREATIES<\/p>

Biden’s wish to renew New START gives hope that other treaties with\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0may<\/a>\u00a0be also renewed, Madelyn Hoffman, a longtime environmental and social justice activist, who was the Green Party candidate for the US\u00a0Senate<\/a>\u00a0election<\/a>\u00a0which was held in\u00a0November<\/a>, told Sputnik.<\/p>

“All<\/a>\u00a0accounts indicate that the Biden administration will act to renew the New START Treaty for another five years. That gives hope that the other Treaties will be renewed as well,” Hoffman said when asked about the possibility of extending of other deals with\u00a0Russia<\/a>.<\/p>

No statement has been made\u00a0from<\/a>\u00a0Biden on the future of the other two major military agreements with\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0\ufffd the Intermediate-Range\u00a0Nuclear<\/a>\u00a0Forces (INF) and the Open Skies treaties. Meanwhile,\u00a0Russian<\/a>\u00a0Ambassador to the\u00a0United States<\/a>\u00a0Anatoly Antonov has recently stated that\u00a0Moscow<\/a>\u00a0was ready to work with Biden on the issue. The\u00a0Trump<\/a>\u00a0administration previously announced its plans to leave the INF Treaty in\u00a02018<\/a>\u00a0and formally pulled out in\u00a02019<\/a>.<\/p>

“Since Lockheed Martin was granted a big contract to develop a mid-range missile that would have been prohibited under the INF Treaty, reinstating it might face a more difficult challenge. If nothing else, having people named to fill many\u00a0government<\/a>\u00a0roles in the incoming administration, provides a modicum of hope that some of these issues might be worked out,” Hoffman added.<\/p>

In summer\u00a02019<\/a>, Lockheed Martin won more than $400\u00a0million<\/a>\u00a0to deliver parts and equipment for intermediate-range missile tests. The announcement came less than a week after the US withdrew\u00a0from<\/a>\u00a0the INF.<\/p>

Meanwhile, Hoffman expressed fears that the Biden administration might become “more aggressive” than the\u00a0Trump<\/a>\u00a0administration.<\/p>

“The\u00a0Democrats<\/a>\u00a0have been pushing the story about the Russians influencing U.S. elections since the day of the last presidential\u00a0election<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a02016<\/a>\u00a0when\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0defeated\u00a0Hillary Clinton<\/a>,” Hoffman said.<\/p>

When asked about another arch-competitor of the US during the\u00a0Trump<\/a>\u00a0administration \ufffd\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0\ufffd Hoffman said that she hoped that\u00a0Washington<\/a>\u00a0would pursue “a more moderate policy” toward\u00a0Beijing<\/a>.<\/p>

“But fear is that it will not. Biden pushed\u00a0Trump<\/a>\u00a0to be more aggressive against\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0over the past year, so my fear is that the U.S. military-industrial-complex wants and needs to create two “enemies” —\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0— in order to continue to justify its huge military\u00a0budget<\/a>\u00a0of over $740\u00a0billion<\/a>,” she concluded.<\/p>

Speaking about the work Biden is about to do in the first 100 days of his presidency, Hoffman admitted that “at\u00a0best<\/a>” he is likely to bring the country back to where it was during\u00a0Barack Obama<\/a>‘s time.<\/p>

“This would mean re-entering or renewing agreements made with\u00a0Russia<\/a>\u00a0prior to the beginning of the\u00a0Trump<\/a>\u00a0administration. However, I do not have much hope for the\u00a0Democrats<\/a>\u00a0in this country to go beyond the “status quo”\u00a0from<\/a>\u00a02016<\/a>\u00a0and actually bring the\u00a0world<\/a>\u00a0closer to peace,” she said.<\/p>

In her recent opinion piece dubbed “The Chickens Come Home to Roost” written together with Rose Roby, also a member of the Green Party, Hoffman mentioned that Biden has “a 40-year history of promoting violent U.S. domination” and mentioned Gulf wars and the\u00a0Iraq<\/a>\u00a0war.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ANALYSIS – New START Treaty Extension Can Pave Way For Further US, Russia Arms Control Discussions \u00a0 \u00a0Faizan Hashmi\u00a0\u00a03 days ago\u00a0\u00a0Tue 26th January 2021 | 12:50 AM \u00a0 MOSCOW (UrduPoint News \/ Sputnik – 26th January, 2021) The extension of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the only remaining legally binding\u00a0agreement\u00a0on\u00a0nuclear\u00a0arms control between\u00a0Russia\u00a0and the\u00a0United […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1661","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"czr-hentry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1661"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1663,"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1661\/revisions\/1663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gpnj.org\/gpnjwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}