President Bush and Russian President Putin signed the latest treaty on nuclear arms Friday May 24. While not entirely without merit, the accord is neither about arms reduction nor does it necessarily make the world a safer place.

Indeed, the world may actually be less safe if enacted.

The merit to the accord includes continued communication with Russia. Also by removing the warheads from their missiles, it reduces the risk of “hair trigger” launch.

However, no commitment to actual number reduction is assured. Significantly, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), even if the US were to completely reduce weapons, voluntarily, to the levels outlined, we would still have 15,000 nuclear weapons available for potential deployment.

This non-binding three-page accord is more about appearance and “spin” than substance. This so-called “cut” in nuclear arms is more a changing of guns while storing the bullets on the shelf.

This bullet storage is precisely what invites lateral transfer of these horrific weapons to rogue nations or terrorist organizations.

As the US prepares to unilaterally withdraw from the ABM treaty next month in what the rest of the world views as a misguided and destabilizing move, this current accord will be hailed as proof of the ability to achieve arms reduction without the ABM. This is an unfortunate misrepresentation.

In the post September 11 climate, the US joins the world community in seeking an end to terror and the root causes therein. What is demanded is true leadership and international partnership in realizing this goal.

Now is the time for bold initiatives analogous to putting a man on the moon or calling for the fall of the Berlin wall. Weapons of war will never achieve true security.

The world must demand the following of our leaders: · Immediate cooperative efforts to verifiably destroy not store nuclear weapons. · Nuclear nations must work together to shore up, protect and eliminate nuclear weapons and weapons grade materials the world over. · Existing treaties including the ABM will not be manipulated or abandoned for unilateral needs but rather will only be modified jointly to further strengthen their impact. · The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) must be ratified and codified to law as soon as possible to further reduce international pressures for the spread of nuclear weapons. · Negotiate a treaty acknowledging that outer space like the Antarctic belongs to all people and will never be militarized by weapons, rather only explored and inhabited for the benefit of mankind.

The familiar time clock of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists continues to tick and is now as close to midnight as ever in its existence. It stands at 7 minutes to midnight, the hour of nuclear attack.

The time is upon us. Now we must demand substance, not appearance. Without this leadership, all agree that future more deadly terrorist attacks will occur. It is not a question of if, but rather when.

Robert Dodge, M.D. is a family physician and President of the Ventura County Physicians for Social Responsibility, Ventura, California

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