If Trump follows Bolton's advice and withdraws from the INF Treaty, he will be handing Vladimir Putin a gift. The US has the option of pursuing counter-measures to ensure Russia gains little or no military advantage from its missile deployment. <1/6>
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Furthermore, the Treaty allows for the US to engage in the preliminary R&D necessary for fielding an intermediate-range missile of our own, making it foolish to jump the gun and announce a US withdrawal before we're ready. <2/6>
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It's important to remember that Russia bears full responsibility for violating the INF Treaty in the first place, but this ill-considered move will make it look like the US is to blame. Our allies will be furious, while the only party that stands to benefit is Russia. <3/6>
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Hopefully Mattis will prevail over Bolton though there are some in the Pentagon who would like the US to withdraw so we're less constrained. The biggest losers in all this are our European allies, who are in the cross-hairs of Russian intermediate-range missiles. <4/6>
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Bolton's decision to suspend strategic stability talks is also just plain stupid. At a time of increasing tension in the US-Russia relationship, discussions between military strategists can lead to better understanding on both sides of the consequences of certain actions. <5/6>
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It's better to have those discussions now than at the height of a crisis. <END>
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Perhaps this is probably what Bolton and Kelly were arguing about?
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There is no countermeasures to cruise and ballistic missiles anf medium range, stop trying to hide from the truth. Russia doesn’t need the treaty and will violate it one way or another and the ignorant one to it looses.
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