Another win for Putin. Trump to withdraw from "Open Skies" treaty

[MomentsofSanity]

In a move that Putin has wanted for years, the Trump admin has announced it's intention to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies. Trump seems poised to give him yet another win.

Trump administration prepares to leave Open Skies Treaty

The Trump administration has made a final decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty.

www.defensenews.com

 

[hal2kilo]

I think we've even let START expire but my Google is not finding anything about its status. Hell, it's a living. At least it was for me. Be nice if we could just get rid of these horribly expensive weapon systems.
Apparently, Putin and Trump have some unrecorded understanding.

 

[woolfe9998]

The stated reason is Russian non-compliance. Which is likely true. Well gee, if you want to ensure absolute and total non-compliance, the best way is to unilaterally pull out of the treaty. If you really want compliance, you sit down at the negotiating table.

This is yet another in a long line of foreign policy decisions which has alienated our allies across the pond and strengthened Putin.

 

[interchange]

The idea behind a treaty isn't that you just stop doing what you agree to if you feel like it with no consequence.

 

[tweaker2]

The need to get rid of Trump come November gets more compelling by the day. I get this sense that Trump is a coward who runs away from real confrontations that threatens the nation's security as with the COVID-19 threat, as with Putin's might and power, etc.

What I'd really like to know is who his personal advisers are and to what end are they manipulating Trump, of whom seems so easy to sway given his myopic quest for appearing to be the man he could never be and for enriching himself at every opportunity.

As for his agenda, all one needs to ask of him is what has he and his Repub lackeys in Congress done for the middle class and the poor since his taking office? Of course, we all know what we'll get from them are lies and more lies.

 

[UNCjigga]

This move is less about doing Putin’s bidding and more about serving those interests who would benefit from a new Cold War with Russia (both Russian interests and American military-industrial interests.)

 

[GodisanAtheist]

For anyone too lazy to hunt it down, because even the source article isn't totally clear on it: The Open Skies Treaty, which consists primarily of NATO countries + Warsaw Pact countries, + the US and Russia, allows unarmed Arial surveillance of each signatory by any other signatory for the purposes of transparency regarding military movement and transparency. It was initially proposed by a Soviet Premier back in the 1950's, actually drafted by HW Bush, and began enforcement under the younger Bush.

Treaty on Open Skies - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I can definitely see how this helps Russia, as the weaker side of this agreement and the initiator of some recent land grabs, they wouldn't want other countries observing military buildups or anything else (unsanctioned military incursions into surrounding countries).

Of course, the treaty is only as good as the paper its written on. If they have not been holding up their end of the treaty, I imagine there are ways of applying pressure to have it enforced, rather than to simply withdraw from it altogether.