Nuclear Winter

Russia announced yesterday that it will be building itself some shiny new toys, including 70 intercontinental nuclear missiles, as part of an increasingly aggresive stance towards the United States. The Guardian reports that Russia is preparing a 28% increase in military spending for the 2009-2011 period. The move is intended to strengthen the Kremlin's bargaining position with Washington, especially because the current nuclear treaty, Start I, expires next year. "The Kremlin knows that if it doesn't increase production of ICBMs rapidly now then it will have no chance of getting a new arms reduction treaty out of the US, which has much greater quantities of missiles," said Ruben Sergeev, an expert on disarmament issues. Russia has also provoked the U.S. by stating that it will supply weapons to Iran in spite of American opposition.