Tag: Mikhail Gorbachev

The Trump administration withdrew from the so-called INF Treaty (Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty) earlier this month after accusing Moscow of years of non-compliance. The Europeans were hoping for some indication of what the U.S.’s next move would be, but went home none the wiser from the annual gathering of leaders, ministers and policymakers from around the world. "We cannot start another nuclear arms race,” Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said in an interview with POLITICO, urging an immediate effort to build a new treaty that would also include China. What does Mr. Trump want? This is not our view.” Security analysts say the real reason Donald Trump pulled out of the treaty was over concern that China, which is not bound by the INF, could deploy precisely the type of weapons Washington was banned from producing. "It’s a lose-lose situation.” Nunn was part of a group that came to Munich to urge leaders to try to preserve and modernize the INF. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and other leaders took pains in Munich to reassure the public that the U.S. has no intention of stationing mid-range nuclear weapons in Europe in response to the treaty’s collapse. “The answer can’t lie in a blind race to build more weapons.” The U.S. and Russia have six months to resurrect the treaty, but most observers say that’s unlikely. “Frankly, Russia possesses those missiles, they are deployed and they're violating the INF Treaty,” he told POLITICO, arguing that European concerns are more about symbolism than strategic reality. “It looks bad because one of the iconic treaties of the beginning of the end of the Cold War is over, but why do we need a treaty that’s not enforced?” he said.

Study the dysfunction in Washington, and when they start to work on the people’s business do just the opposite of what we’re seeing now. Neither major party is completely right or completely wrong, so the best leader is one who represents all the people — not just those who voted for them. Actually, the early signs from Governor-elect Ron DeSantis are encouraging. He agrees with Democrat and incoming Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried that it’s time to right a grievous wrong and pardon the Groveland Four. He promises to be a champion for water and the environment after eight years of neglect by outgoing Gov. Rick Scott. Excellent. For many, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of someone who told the world that love mattered more than might, that we are to live lives guided by charity and compassion. Make Florida politics the model for the nation. Merry Christmas.

Good Monday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today. Read about Republicans’ struggles in those states. • The Trump administration is considering narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth, which could roll back federal protections for transgender people. Read the story. • President Trump shifted his tone on Saudi Arabia again over the weekend, expressing doubt about the Saudi government’s claim that the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed accidentally in a fistfight with Saudi operatives. Read more about Mr. Trump’s changing response. • Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defended his decision to meet with Saudi officials this week, saying his aim was to reinforce ties at a critical moment. Now a Republican candidate for Senate in the state, his time in office has been costly for state taxpayers. Read about the debate.