(Jonathan Beale – BBC) The last nuclear weapons control treaty between the US and Russia is due to expire on Thursday, raising fears of a new arms race. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as “New START” and signed in 2010 was one of a handful of agreements designed to help prevent a catastrophic nuclear war. The treaty capped the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for each party to 1,550. It also established some transparency including data transfer, notifications and on site inspections. The treaty’s expiry effectively marks an end to the arms control co-operation between Washington and Moscow that helped bring an end to the Cold War.
New Start: US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty due to expire raising fears of arms race
