Sunday, July 19, 2009

Good News - U.S. and Russia to cut nuclear weapons by 25%

Could it be that the world is coming to its senses? Could it be that we will have a more sane international policy after 60 years of cold war destroying the psychological health of our planet?

From Time Magazine July 20, 2009

Moscow When Barack Met Dmitri On his first trip to the Russian capital since taking office, President Obama and counterpart Dmitri Medvedev agreed to slash their nuclear stockpiles more than 25%, marking their lowest levels since the end of the Cold War. Obama hailed the pact, which requires ratification by the U.S. Senate, as a key step toward reducing the risk of nuclear proliferation in unstable nations such as Iran and North Korea. Less progress was made on the thorny issues of Georgia and a proposed U.S. missile-defense system in Eastern Europe. After a face-to-face with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Obama told a reporter he didn't "anticipate a meeting of the minds anytime soon." Obama departed for the G-8 summit in Italy on July 8 and planned a stop in Ghana before his return to Washington.

Estimated number of nuclear weapons per country, March 2009

Russia 14,000

U.S. 10,550

France 300

China 241

Britain 200

Israel 80

Pakistan 60

India 50

96% of the world's nuclear warheads are held by Russia and the U.S.

SOURCE: UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS

No comments:

Post a Comment