Obama visits Russia: So far, it’s not looking too good for the U.S.
Obama and Medvedev signed a “preliminary agreement” on the reduction of nuclear stockpiles. Aside from the signing ceremony, it’s hard to see why we need a “preliminary agreement” instead of just an “agreement.” This is all the more true in light of the statement by Medvedev in an interview Sunday that a new agreement depends on the U.S. being willing to compromise on the proposed anti-missile system in Eastern Europe. One can only hope that this will not happen. A strategic arms-reduction agreement is already a gift to the Russians. It allows them to maintain parity with the U.S. in nuclear arms at little or no additional cost despite their aging arsenal and reinforces the misleading and potentially dangerous impression that Russia is still a superpower.