Trump's treaty aversion is destroying Cold War safety nets and hastening a superpower crisis

Most Americans likely know very little about this nearly two-decades-old multilateral arms control agreement.

Coupled with our withdrawal from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty as well as the JCPOA (Iran Nuclear Agreement), this decision seems to be indicative of the administration’s desire to eliminate arms control as a tool of American national security policy.

Opponents of the treaty are correct that arms control is a means to enhance American security and cannot be considered a policy goal or end state.

The Trump administration's pivot, however, may encourage the American people to consider a critical question that has largely been ignored since the end of the Cold War: What is the role of arms control as part of U.S?

The New START Treaty between Washington and Moscow that limits American and Russian strategic nuclear weapons is the last major arms control agreement between the two countries.

The Treaty on Open Skies created a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories of its now 34 signatories to collect data on military forces or activities.

All participating states can conduct aerial reconnaissance over the territory of any other state or participate in joint flights that might include representatives from several countries.

Open Skies has been described as “one of the most wide-ranging international arms control efforts to date to promote openness” in military forces and activities.

flying three times as many flights annually over Russian territory as the Russians have flown over the U.S.

Still, the fact that no other ally joined America in pulling out of the treaty weakens Washington’s case significantly; indeed, many allies immediately announced their continued support for the agreement.

Pompeo argued that Russia had refused to accept flights near the border with the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions of Georgia or over Crimea.

Pompeo further pointed to restrictions imposed by Moscow on flights over Kaliningrad and “unjustifiably denying a “shared U.S./Canada observation flight over a Russian military exercise.” These accusations are also valid, but Russia recently accepted a flight over Kaliningrad without restrictions, and announced it would no longer raise objections to U.S.

Compliance issues exist, and the United States, in concert with allies, should always vigorously and publicly condemn Moscow for any treaty violation and use the Open Skies Consultative Commission in Vienna to air grievances.

It does guarantee that Russia can no longer conduct flights over U.S.

allies remain committed to the agreement, Moscow (if it remains in the treaty) will still be able to conduct flights over all NATO territory, including NATO territory that is being used by American forces.