Nuclear! Arms! Deal!

Good to see the United States and Russia getting along where it counts. An agreement to cut their nuclear arsenals sounds very promising. Both countries to cut back by 30%, representing the most comprehensive nuclear arms control treaty in a generation. A full year they've been going at it. Concluding with President Obama speaking with President Medvedev for the final confirmation.

The most important foreign policy success for President Obama to the present time. Possibly the only foreign policy success, more like it. But this is important, really big news, and we should all applaud it. "Today, we have taken another step forward in leaving behind the legacy of the 20th Century while building a more secure future for our children", proudly proclaimed President Obama.

And the details: Capping deployed strategic warheads at 1,550. That means cutting the current total from 2,100 to 1,550 for the United States and from 2,600 total for Russia to 1,550 as well. Oh. Really. Each of these two powerful countries are to be left with 1,550 strategic warheads. How many of those warheads would it take to create Armageddon? Thought so. Classic overkill, ha, ha.

Of course, these are not rogue countries, despite the extreme nervous tics that each country demonstrated throughout the Cold War, when the spectre of a nuclear attack resulting in a localized and perhaps spreading nuclear winter might have been a real possibility. These are two rational countries who, despite their collective insight and intelligence almost brought unspeakable carnage to the world stage.

So they've decided between themselves to diminish the stockpile. That's nice, isn't it? What about addressing the real problems with nuclear weaponry? The fact that an irredentist country like Pakistan possesses nuclear weaponry, and dispensed the fruit of their scientific know-how to other restless regimes, like Libya, North Korea, Iran and by extension Syria?

How about addressing that little item? How to dispossess North Korea of its proud attainment, and feed its starving people instead? How to dissuade Libya from again taking up the nuclear option, and in the process do the same for Syria, intent on re-nuclearizing itself despite the set-back it suffered thanks to an Israeli strike?

Above all, find an agreement between an recalcitrant Russia and a hesitant United States to defang the nuclearization intention of Iran, for a safer world for all of us?