Farewell to the Age of the Treaty

US ratification of international treaties requires 67 of 100 votes in the Senate, a near impossible feat in a nation deeply divided over its future direction. Any individual senator can upend negotiations by demanding special treatment or funding. Such is the case with the new Start treaty between Russia and the US, with one senator demanding a nuclear-weapons modernization program that defies the treaty’s purpose – reducing overall numbers – explains James Rubin of Columbia University, writing for the New York Times. The US has balked on other treaties, including one addressing climate change, and policymakers pursue treaty goals by relying on national laws and other domestic measures. Rubin outlines how the Start goals can be met without a treaty. Plenty of global and national laws provide protections against a range of global threats, and Rubin concludes, “What’s more important is for individual governments to muster the will to enforce them.” – YaleGlobal