Earlier this month, the United States and Russia announced that their countries were to pull out of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. This treaty was a truce between 191 nations who have been involved in producing and studying nuclear arms to instead halt all further progress on these weapons. It was created during the wake of the Cold War between the United States and Russia, where both nations raced to construct the strongest weapons in the world. 

     Pulling out of this treaty is not building a good reputation for America or Russia. These two nations have been working to improve relations drastically since the Cold War, and this is a major step back from the progress since then. Some of this progress included the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which expired on Feb. 1, under this treaty 1,846 Soviet and 846 American missiles were destroyed. This treaty focused on getting rid of nuclear weapons and all supporting equipment and information. 

     The collapse of this fit of diplomacy is detrimental to our society today. Since the Cold War, the United States has been wary about Russia. The treaty was solidified by the word of the nations, and its significance kept citizens safe and gave them a sense of peace knowing that their nations were making attempts to make amends rather than breaking them and having to fear war. The last hope to try and salvage this plan is the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). This treaty is the last standing treaty that restricts the United States and Russia nuclear weapons, and it is set to expire in February of 2021, when the two nations are set to meet and renegotiate an extension or not.

     America’s leaders should do as much as they can to be able to keep all of the nuclear weapons treaties with foreign nations because they make their nation a target rather than an ally if they choose to pull out. While the nuclear weapons are to make the military stronger, it does not play in favor of the United States if other nations fear them.