Mapping a National Security Failure: Ratification of the New START Treaty

Despite the fact that three key arguments advanced in favor of ratification—the need to have verifications mechanisms in place with Russia, the assertion that the treaty did not adversely affect U.S. missile defense, and the view that a sufficiently strong commitment to nuclear modernization had been achieved—turned out to be highly questionable, a survey of public statements made by most Republican Senators who voted “yes” on ratification shows that those arguments played a substantial role in propelling New START over the top.

The Republican Senators who voted in favor of New START—some of whom are no longer serving in the Senate—included: Alexander (R-Tennessee); Bennett (R-Utah); Brown (R-Massachusetts); Cochran (R-Mississippi); Collins (R-Maine); Corker (R-Tennessee); Gregg (R-New Hampshire); Isakson (R-Georgia); Johanns (R-Nebraska); Lugar (R-Indiana); Murkowski (R-Alaska); Snowe (R-Maine); and Voinovich (R-Ohio).[162]  Statements from these Senators’ offices are excerpted on the following pages.