Mike Levin: “until recently, the Bush administration appeared to be engaged in a headlong rush to unilaterally withdraw from the…”

“until recently, the Bush administration appeared to be engaged in a headlong rush to unilaterally withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty--the ABM Treaty--and deploy a national missile defense system. That headlong rush had some serious negative implications for the security of the United States and for our relations with other nations. If the United States decided to unilaterally withdraw from the ABM Treaty, it could: First, lead Russia to stop dismantling nuclear weapons, and to retain or eventually increase its multiple warheads on long-range missiles; Second, lead other nations, such as China, to speed the deployment, or increase the number, of their long-range nuclear missiles; and Third, strain our relations with allies and friends in Europe and Asia who recognize that the ABM Treaty has allowed nuclear arms reductions and has promoted stability for many decades. Those reactions to a unilateral withdrawal from the treaty on our part would be serious because they could result in more nuclear warheads on the territory of other nations and could lead to an increased risk of the theft or proliferation of such warheads or their materials to rogue states or terrorists. In addition, Russia and China could respond to unilateral United States withdrawal from the ABM Treaty by producing, deploying, and possibly even selling missile defense countermeasures and decoys to our potential adversaries.”