Obama's Nuclear Arms Pledge Hits Stumbling Block -- Times Magazine
When President Barack Obama pledged to move toward the abolition of nuclear weapons in April 2009, replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was supposed to be the easy first step. But the 1991 agreement, which limits the number of long-range nuclear weapons in Russia and the U.S., expired on Dec. 5. And a replacement has yet to be agreed upon.
An intricate kind of mimicry must be choreographed in arms reduction, requiring all sides to resist the urge to twitch as guns are lowered simultaneously, with parity maintained throughout. Nothing is easy. Yet State Department spokesman Darby Holladay told TIME that negotiators are making "significant progress" toward a START replacement. There may still be hope for a swift resolution to outstanding problems.
Read more ....
My Comment: Arm control agreements have always had a problem on the issue of trust. President Obama may "trust" the Russians (to a point) .... but the Russians clearly do not trust President Obama, and are basing their negotiations on this sentiment.
In all fairness to President Obama .... the Russians would probably employ the same tactics on any other President. History has been very unkind to Russia, and their behavior will always reflect this reality.