The INF Treaty and Its Grander Implications

The Council on Strategic Risks examines the implications of the Trump administration's intention to withdraw from the 1987 INF Treaty. The authors argue that this move, alongside the potential withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the JCPOA, signals a profound shift in the global security environment. They advocate for new arms control strategies that focus on specific destabilizing weapon classes—particularly those with indistinguishable conventional variants—and emphasize the need for non-governmental expertise and consultation with international allies to maintain global stability.

• The INF Treaty, signed in 1987, banned ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, resulting in the destruction of 2,692 missiles and enhancing security in Europe.
• The threat of U.S. withdrawal from the INF Treaty should not be viewed in isolation, but as part of a wider trend of abandoning international agreements, including the Paris climate agreement and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• Future arms control efforts should prioritize the elimination of the most destabilizing classes of nuclear weapons, specifically those with conventional variants that could lead to accidental nuclear escalation.
• The Council on Strategic Risks is partnering with institutions including the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, Clingendael Institute, and the Toda Peace Institute to launch a dialogue in Oslo to explore the future of arms control.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2018). The INF Treaty and Its Grander Implications. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2018/10/25/the-inf-treaty-and-its-grander-implications/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. The INF Treaty and Its Grander Implications. 2018. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2018/10/25/the-inf-treaty-and-its-grander-implications/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=The INF Treaty and Its Grander Implications |date=25 October 2018 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2018/10/25/the-inf-treaty-and-its-grander-implications/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2018inf, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{The INF Treaty and Its Grander Implications}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2018/10/25/the-inf-treaty-and-its-grander-implications/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }