The end of the INF disarmament Treaty : Europe is uncertain

What the hell is happening to our world? It's only been ten years that an American President, he's Barack Obama was promoted in a speech in Prague, for the goal of "Global Zero" – the abolition of all nuclear weapons on planet earth. His successor in the White house, Donald Trump, will terminate, in all likelihood, on Saturday, an agreement that has made Europe for about 30 years safer. Some fear a new nuclear arms race on German soil.

The INF Treaty (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) between Washington and Moscow prohibits land-based medium-range rockets with ranges between 500 and 5500 kilometers. Europe won safety, because with the discontinuation of the primarily European objectives targeted threat, the risk of a limited nuclear war is low. That a war with nuclear weapons could almost be conducted only between the United States and Russia, made the case less likely.

The German foreign policy had wrested from the US government a 60-day Moratorium, but that runs at 2. February. It is unlikely that Moscow Trumps will meet the conditions. It involves independent inspections of new land-based Russian cruise missiles (9M729). This, so the allegations of Nato, more than 2,500 kilometers. The accusation is confirmed, you would have to be destroyed.

Trump brags upgrade wants to be in a dangerous way with military Power, and strained the nerves of Nato allies that remain on the protection of the US military to depend on. But its accusations against Russia are not new. Already Obama accused Moscow a few years after his speech in Prague, to violate the INF Treaty.

foreign Minister Heiko Maas has tried to in a kind of crisis diplomacy between Moscow and Washington, to save the agreement, but moved little. If you look at the whole world, is the limitations of the INF Treaty: Nuclear-armed countries such as China, India and Pakistan, the Treaty is not concerned. And it is incentives are also hard to imagine that you could move to self-bond. It is true, as Maas for new possibilities of disarmament, and explores initiatives. But quick results you should not.

The foreign Minister is under pressure from his party, the peace will be. He warns of a repeat of the armor debate of the 80s and includes an atomic upgrade. Just who wants to race, no betting, but should remain in its resources flexibly, and above all within Nato. Trump is an unpredictable Partner, but who wants to jointly exercise with any other influence on him, should take no special way.

Maas in Russia, "only a rocket, will not suffice"

in any case, the stationing of new nuclear missiles in Germany after the end of the INF Treaty is only an Option and not the most likely. Nato is now examining the modernization of U.S. missile defense systems and the stationing of medium-range missiles that launch from the ground, ships, and aircraft. To answer questions, has made none, therefore, is not a wise foreign policy. Especially after the termination of six months time remains to clarify the mutual accusations before the contract is actually his story.