Obama proposal to reduce nuclear arsenal admirable yet limited

The proposal to Russia by Barack Obama during yesterday's address in Berlin to reduce their respective nuclear arsenal's by a third is a laudable suggestion, and one that both countries would be wise to pursue given the continuing relevance of nuclear issues. However, the proposal has been negated straight away by Russia's reticence in agreeing to do so. The reasons for this are many, and are not simply down to a continuing Cold War mentality whereby the two countries are trying to outdo each other by continuing to build up their nuclear arsenals.

Firstly, it is important to remember that the world is no longer explicitly bipolar, and that there are now many more spheres of influence to consider when it comes to states being interested in or possessing nuclear weapons, not least North Korea, China and Iran, to name an obvious few. This may suggest that Russia is wishing to maintain it's nuclear stockpile not as a defence strategy against the USA, as war between the USA and Russia is now largely unthinkable, but as a defence against the many other threats that currently exist in the international system, and not necessarily in a nuclear capacity. In particular, Russia is geographically close to both Syria and Iran, whilst being effectively sandwiched in between the USA and China - two states that still remain either highly militarily capable or are explicitly investing in their defensive capability.

Secondly, although there are other pressing problems that need dealing with at the international level, it is an unfortunate fact that nuclear weapons could be seen to act as a deterrent against the insecurities currently inherent in the international system. This makes the proposal by Obama all the more promising, however, as if both Russia and the USA, two highly important and strategic international actors, were to reduce their nuclear stockpile, this may encourage other key international actors to do the same, thus reducing the level of tension existing at the international level. The proposal will remain for the foreseeable future a non-starter, as Russia is particularly unlikely to want to relinquish it's defensive capabilities, as Russia is not nearly as capable of defending it's territory to the extent of other major actors. It is instead limited by it's relative suspicion of other countries, although this argument could also be levelled at the USA to a certain degree, although less so under the current White House administration.

For now, it is enough to admire Obama's considerable courage at so explicitly expressing a desire to reduce it's nuclear arsenal given the current high level of tension surrounding the international community. A nuclear-free future is a highly desirable vision, and both current and future presidents should not forget it.