Nuke Treaties A-Go-Go

Some the announcement of the new START treaty is now being followed by news that the new nuclear test ban treaty faces an uphill ratification battle.

President Barack Obama is expected to claim a major foreign policy success when he signs a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev next week — but it comes at a cost.

The hard-negotiated pact took so long to conclude it has jeopardized Obama's chances to achieve another nuclear goal: Senate ratification of a nuclear test ban treaty.

The administration had hoped that success with Russia on a replacement for the 1991 Strategic Arms Control Treaty would give it momentum for winning Senate approval of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Both treaties must be ratified to go into force, but time constraints mean that the Senate will only consider one of the two before the November midterm elections.

The administration had initially aimed to complete the highly technical treaty with Russia last year, but that proved unrealistic. It now says it intends to send the new START treaty to the Senate for consideration by late April at the earliest. Lawmakers will likely take months to hold hearings and schedule a vote.

That bodes ill for the test ban treaty, which will come second.

By: Brant