Reviewing the U.S. -Soviet INF Treaty: The Senate's Options

Publication Date: January 1988

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Richard E. Messick

Research Area: International relations

Keywords: Russia and Eurasia

Type: Report

Coverage: Soviet Union

Abstract:

If the Senate decides to hinge advice and consent to the INF treaty on the acceptance of certain conditions, it should carefully spell out which conditions must be accepted by the Soviet Union and which need only be accepted by the President. One way to do this is to follow the scheme devised for the SALT II treaty, which explicitly defined conditions on the basis of whether they were binding on the President and/or the treaty partner. This will ensure that the Senate's conditions are given full legal effect.