Get Back to START

The political movement President Donald Trump leads, called Make America Great Again, broke with traditional Republican foreign policy as the public has known it for some time.

Unlike the Reagan to Bush II era Republicans, many MAGA people fly the anti-war flag, at least from an isolationist standpoint. However, Trump’s recent actions in Central America to counter narcotics trafficking make some question his isolationist credentials. In addition, his stationing of National Guard troops in American cities (most likely just a political stunt) makes one question his motives when it comes to using the military.

The Arms Control Association pointed out in a recent virtual briefing that the global moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions is facing one of its most acute crises since the late 1990s, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s Oct. 30 announcement that he had “instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons.” If the United States resumes nuclear testing, other countries, like Russia, North Korea, and perhaps China, will likely follow suit, which would escalate the nuclear arms race and increase global tensions even further. Tensions are very high because the US and its allies are at each other’s throats in Cold War II.

The weaponry of Cold War II differs from that of the two World Wars and the first Cold War, and it’s not a good brew for a lawful world (arms control, détente, and diplomacy), a fact discussed only by organizations like the Arms Control Association. Although Cold War II is scary, it’s not as scary as either of the world wars, as none of the great powers have done anything to rival the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor or Germany’s hate-induced Holocaust. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is sickening, and only time will tell whether China will invade Taiwan.

How do we exit this awful situation? The answer is to set a few ground rules, like the landmark treaties between the US and the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s. Russia’s recent overtures represent a start, as Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a one-year extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on Sept. 22. New START limits the United States and Russian arsenals to 1,550 strategic warheads and 700 strategic launchers on each side. The treaty expires on Feb. 5, 2026, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the proposal sounded “pretty good.” President Trump echoed a similar sentiment two weeks later.

Although I’m opposed to Trump and Trumpism on both foreign and domestic policy, extending the New START Treaty is the right thing to do, and it could be the first step in a long struggle toward a more lawful world. The new weaponry that populates our world – drones, missiles equipped with artificial intelligence, autonomous forces, and special forces – make the conscripted mass armies of the 20th century obsolete. While this is exciting in a way, such weaponry also opens a can of worms. How do we control this technology? Hopefully, we can do so with diplomacy, the rule of law, and a reasonable temperament. If not, then we face a future that isn’t bright. However, let’s take step one and extend New START.   

Jason Sibert is the Lead Writer of the Peace Economy Project