Abstract:
During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union both deployed thousands of strategic and non-strategic nuclear weapons that were to be used in support of troops in the field during a conflict. It was in a bit to avoid any nuclear confrontation by both sides that prompted the leaders of both countries to enter into several treaties that would reduce the nuclear warhead in both countries nuclear arsenal. But not much success was made as there was still lack of trust, especially the Bush’s administration which later indicated its interest to pull out of the Anti Ballistic Missile treaty (ABM) or Moscow treaty. With this the Bush administration made the U.S option for nuclear reduction open. In the post Cold War, relations between both countries was further strained following President Bush’s intention in 2007 to deploy missile defence system in Eastern Europe by placing missile interceptors in Checz republic and a radar station in Poland while using a possible nuclear threat from Iran as leverage. The prospect of a new American global military strategic control. This issue aroused greater Russian protest. Russia sees this single move as a direct danger to Russian security, potentially undermining its ability to deter attack from the West as well as America’s impending military incursion into Russian territorial space. It was upon the ascension into office as President that the Obama administration scrapped the $2.5 billion missile defence system and its reason that the administration found that technological advances and a shifting threat from nuclear proliferant nations made the scrapping inevitable. With the scrapping of the U.S missile defence system in eastern Europe, Obama got Russia to sign a new nuclear deal which saw a deep cut in both countries nuclear warhead to a historical low of 1500 as well as a bargaining chip to get Russian’s support to deter nuclear proliferant nation such as Iran that is hell bent on acquiring a nuclear weapon irrespective of various U.S unilateral sanctions imposed on Tehran.
