THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 18, 1995 TAG: 9502170042
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
It seemed like a good idea at the time. A collapsing Soviet Union had nuclear arms that it didn't need and needed money it didn't have. Solution: Pay them to give up their nukes. Thus was born the so-called Nunn-Lugar program.
Four years and millions later, it is not exactly an unmitigated success. According to Assistant Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, implementation is just now getting under way so it's too early to judge the program. But it is not to early to assess its failures.
In fact, last September Defense Secretary Perry admitted the program had been bungled, that bureaucratic delays on the U.S. side had been partially responsible for its slow start and glacial pace. But plenty of other problems have also been in evidence.
A breakup that left nuclear arms in the hands not just of Russia but of Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine complicated dealings. A resurgent and sometimes virulent nationalism in Russia has increased anti-American feeling and could delay moves to eliminate nuclear warheads. Their value on the black market is rising. The Russian military is less than enchanted with its civilian leadership and may balk at surrendering a trump card. The mess in Chechnya has cast a pall over other bilateral business.
So far, airplanes, missiles, silos and submarines have all been destroyed, but the actual nuclear warheads are largely intact. This is troubling. A plutonium storage facility has been built so the dismantling process can go forward, but whether it will is anybody's guess.
Domestic politics now threatens to throw another monkey wrench into the process. House Republicans have threatened to zero out the program, to simply give up on the idea. That would be a major mistake. It's not just liberal visionaries who hope the program pans out. The conservative Heritage Foundation also awards Nunn-Lugar a top priority.
It is certainly true that the political crosscurrents inside the former Soviet Union are making progress difficult. But there still appears to be a window of opportunity and the Clinton administration must press forward in an attempt to actually dismantle nuclear warheads that were aimed at us for so long.
These deadly weapons could still be aimed our way again. They could also fall into the far more dangerous hands of rogue regimes or terrorists. Thoughtful Republicans know the risks of failure are so great that partisanship has to be put aside and the program pursued even if the odds of succeeding seem slight. by CNB