Reduction in Nuclear Power

City Montessori School Student / Abhinav Mathur

 For almost a half a century, the United States and the USSR fought a nuclear arms war- “The Cold War.” The Cold War officially ended on August 19, 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Ironically, the war ended without a battle or a shot fired. In fact, nuclear weapons have only been used once. The Second World War, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs, one on Hiroshima and the other one on Nagasaki.

 In 1991, the United States and Russia signed the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I). According to the Treaty, the United Stated and Russia reduce the number of strategic nuclear warheads developed by the two countries from 13,000 to 11,000 respectively, to around 8,000 each. The Second Treaty (START II), signed in 1993 and ratified in 1996 by the United States says that each nation would further condense their number of deployed warheads between 3000 to 4500, which brings the total number to approximately 10000 nuclear weapons for each side, by the projected date-2003. START III cannot be discussed until Russia ratifies the START II. In addition, nuclear testing ended for both sides and the production of weapon-grade missile material has stopped. The nuclear treaties leave enough nuclear capability, in both the United States and Russia, to damage an attacking nation. In fact, without Russia and United States arsenal, there are a little over 2000 weapons divided among the rest of the world, as reported by the Centre for Defense Information, as long as all the countries in the world approve Test Ban Treaty. In addition, defense experts believe it would require only a little over a thousand nuclear missiles to fen off an attack.

 Mesopotamia, whose territory was roughly equivalent to that of Modern Iraq, fell to the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century and remained part of the Ottoman Empire until a British invasion during World War. As a method for ensuring the success of the uprising against the Ottoman Turks, the British supported the national independence movement within Iraq. However, in1920, the Treaty of Sevres established Iraq as a Mandate of the League of Nations under British administration. The delay in attaining independence provoked a revolt in 1920, which was subsequently suppressed by the British. The containment of the rebellion was costly to the British, who soon realized the expediency in terminating the mandate, and promoted an interim government in 1921 headed by King Faisal I. in 1924 Iraq reluctantly agreed to a Treaty with Great Britain whereby Britain was granted the right of Veto over legislation and maintenance of British Military Bases. A further Treaty, signed in 1930 provided for a 25 year alliance with Britain. In 1932, the British mandate was terminated and Iraq entered the League of Nations as an independent state.

 Iraq formed part of the Arab league’s unsuccessful war against Israel in 1948. in the mid 1950’s the Iraqi regime implemented a national development program, financed mostly through oil revenues. The US extended technical aid to the country and after 1956, military assistance. Iraqi diplomatic relations with the USSR were severely damaged in 1955. Following Soviet support for Kurdish Nationalism.