DISREGARDING the strong opposition from the rest of the international community, the United States has formally exited the Open Skies Treaty. The decision, perhaps the swan song for the incumbent US administration’s penchant for withdrawing from international agreements, was announced by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday. It is another dangerous move by the current US administration which has displayed a loathing for international commitments that borders on phobia. The treaty is aimed at building transparency and military trust among the signatory parties as it allows them to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over each other’s territories to collect data on military forces and activities. In all, 34 nations, including the US, Russia and some members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization had signed the treaty, which was regarded as an important trust-building mechanism conducive to improving transparency and reducing the risks of conflict. On May 21, the US announced it would withdraw from the treaty in six months, claiming that Russia had not stuck to its commitments under the pact. An allegation that was immediately rejected by Russia. Moscow repeatedly called for dialogue with Washington over the treaty, but in vain.
The US’ withdrawal has been condemned by the international community as it will undermine international efforts to reduce the risks of head-on conflicts and build military transparency and will have a negative impact on international arms control and nuclear disarmament efforts. To maintain the global military supremacy of the US, the current administration has had no qualms about jeopardizing world peace and security. Apart from the Open Skies Treaty, the US has also gone back on its commitments to international arms control treaties, including the Iranian nuclear agreement and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Although the US leader has refused to acknowledge he lost the presidential election, he may count on moves such as the withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty to be an obstacle for the next administration. But it is no exaggeration to say that the current US administration’s dislike of any commitments to peace has become one of the biggest threats to global stability. The administration’s decision to abandon the Open Skies Treaty is just the latest step in its discarding arms control and non-proliferation agreements, which has stoked deep concerns among the international community about the intentions of the US, including among its allies. Fingers will be crossed worldwide that should Joe Biden enter the White House as anticipated, he will be good to his word and honor the international obligations that the US had committed to.
– China Daily
