美国国家公共电台 NPR--Russia says it will stop participating in its last nuclear treaty with the U.S.

Russia says it will stop participating in its last nuclear treaty with the U.S.

Transcript¹

Arms control experts warn that the suspension of the New START treaty is part of a troubling global rise in nuclear weapons.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

An unhappy kid on the playground may threaten to take his ball and go home. But what happens when a world leader threatens to take his nuclear football and go home?

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Russia's President Vladimir Putin blames the U.S. for his invading armies' trouble in Ukraine. And now he says Russia is suspending its participation² in a nuclear arms control deal with the U.S. It's a decade-old agreement called the New START treaty. Putin spoke³ in Moscow yesterday. And with its usual speed, Russia's legislature applied⁴ the rubber stamp today.

INSKEEP: So how much should we worry about the unraveling of a nuclear deal? NPR science and security correspondent Geoff Brumfiel is following the story. Geoff, good morning.

GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE⁵: Good morning.

INSKEEP: What does this agreement do?

BRUMFIEL: It caps the number of weapons on bombers⁶, missiles and submarines to around 1,500. Now, each side is still allowed to keep a number of weapons in storage. But this is sort of the limit that can be deployed⁸. It also allows for inspections⁹ of nuclear bases and for a lot of information exchange between the U.S. and Russia about nuclear weapons. Russia's announcement means there won't be any more inspections for the foreseeable future. And the data likely won't be shared. But Russia did say it was committed to keeping its nuclear weapons at 1,500 deployed weapons, at least for now.

INSKEEP: They're going to stay in notional compliance¹⁰, or at least so they say, just not actually going to allow the inspections or anything else. Is that at least a little bit reassuring¹¹?

BRUMFIEL: Kind of. But there's a bigger picture, which is several other treaties have actually already collapsed¹² in recent years. So in 2019, the U.S. withdrew from a treaty governing certain kinds of nuclear missiles. About a year and a half later, the U.S. and Russia both withdrew from another treaty related to nuclear weapons. Olga Oliker is with the nonprofit International Crisis Group. And she says the New START treaty is really all that's left.

OLGA OLIKER: I mean, this was the last big treaty. And if it's gone, then the entire nuclear arms control infrastructure¹³ is gone.

INSKEEP: Which, I guess, in theory, means that one side or the other could take its thousands of other nuclear warheads out of the closet or the cave or wherever they've got them and deploy⁷ them. Is this going to mean a Cold War arms race?

BRUMFIEL: Well, not yet. Right now, as I said, we're at about 1,500 warheads. And to give you a sense of how bad things were during the Cold War, at various points, each side had around 30,000 weapons. I spoke to arms control expert Lynn Rusten at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. She says that Russia doesn't want to go back there.

LYNN RUSTEN: They have historically always wanted to constrain¹⁴ U.S. strategic weapons because they don't want to be in an arms race either.

BRUMFIEL: But she adds, the way you avoid an arms race is treaties. And those treaties do seem to be falling apart.

RUSTEN: Right now, we're just seeing a total breakdown¹⁵ with no prospect¹⁶ of recovery anytime soon.

BRUMFIEL: With the war in Ukraine grinding on, you know, I mean, the U.S. and Russian relations are at an all-time low. And Rusten and other experts I spoke to think this suspension could be the beginning of the end.

INSKEEP: Geoff, you're the science and security correspondent. I don't feel secure when you say things like beginning of the end. What do you mean?

BRUMFIEL: I mean, you know, we could return to a Cold War-like situation, except it would be a lot more complicated because now we have countries, like North Korea, which have nuclear weapons. And China is undergoing a dramatic expansion of its nuclear capabilities¹⁷. So getting new treaties is going to be even harder.

INSKEEP: NPR's Geoff Brumfiel. Thanks for the insights.

BRUMFIEL: Thank you, Steve.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

8 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

9 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

11 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

12 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

13 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

14 constrain   

vt.限制，约束；克制，抑制

参考例句：

• She tried to constrain herself from a cough in class.上课时她竭力忍住不咳嗽。
• The study will examine the factors which constrain local economic growth.这项研究将考查抑制当地经济发展的因素。

15 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

16 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

17 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓