For those that follow global news you should know that there is a major treaty going through Congress in its “Lame Duck” session. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (or better known as START) is a series of treaties between the United States and the Former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics/Current Russian Federation. In a brief history, START I talks began in 1982 between Reagan and Gorbachev but was signed in 1991. 
Basically this series of treaties (START I and II, the failed START III, and the now “New” START), is an agreement between the US and Russia to reduce the number of strategic nuclear warheads placing a cap at 6,000 ICBM and SLBMs. It also eventually banned the use of MIRVs on ICBMs. This new treaty is set to 1,550 stockpile and reduce the deployed nuclear figure to 800. At the moment, this is a hotly debated treaty in Congress (especially during a “Lame Duck” session). Both sides I feel bring up two great issues with this treaty and its signing. The Republicans bring up that the language of the bill (even with President Obama’s statement on the language, which legally is not the binding document) expresses that Russia has the ability to build a Missile Defense system, but not specifically stating that the US does. This would not be that big of an issue to change the language, except that Russia vowed not to sign the treaty if anything was changed in it. The Democrats and some Republicans too have expressed the second issue, which is that if the treaty is not signed the US would lose the strategic advantage to monitor Russian facilities. There for I leave you with a poll for my first true blog on WordPress. I also want you to read the treaty itself and think for yourself on this one before you answer the poll.
This is the treaty: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/140035.pdf
