START II: WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?

There are several versions of an old saying: Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it. Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
　
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was an agreement between the old Soviet Union and the U.S. to implement a reduction and limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. The treaty was signed by the US and the USSR, and barred each nation from deploying more than 6,000 nuclear warheads atop a total of 1,600 ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and bombers. The treaty also limited each nation to no more than 6,000 warplanes, 10,000 tanks, 20,000 artillery pieces and 2,000 military helicopters.
　
The START I treaty was signed on 7-31-91and expired on 12-5-09. On 4-8-10. A new treaty, START II, that calls for further arms reductions was signed in Prague by President Obama and Russian President Medvedev. For the US, the treaty requires ratification by the Senate. Obama has made ratification by the current lame duck Senate as his highest priority because he knows the next Senate will have more Republicans and fewer Democrats which will make ratification more difficult.
　
Before we rush into ratification of START II, we should ask ourselves this question: Will history repeat itself?
　
The Treaty of Versailles (1919) that ended WWI imposed the following disarmament conditions on Germany: (1) It’s army was reduced to 100,000 men. (2) The army was not allowed any tanks. (3) She was not allowed an airforce. (4) She was allowed only 6 capital naval ships and no submarines.
　
The Washington Naval Treaty (1922), an agreement worked out between the US, Britain and Japan and refined by the London Naval Treaty (1930), scrapped 38 existing capital ships (Britain 8, U.S. 7, Japan 2) and cancelled 31being constructed (Britain 8, U.S. 13, Japan 10) or converted them to aircraft carriers (2 each for the U.S. and Japan). In addition, restrictions were imposed on the replacement of existing vessels, and on the displacement (35,000 tons standard) and size of guns (16 inch) that future battleships could carry.
　
We all know what happened. Germany secretly rearmed by enlarging its army, building thousands of tanks, accumulating a large airforce and building a number of battleships and many submarines. When in 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria it was condemned by the League of Nations. Japan promptly left the league and ignored the terms of the naval treaties. Those naval treaties ended up weakening the US and Britain while Germany and Japan were able to strengthen their armed forces.
　
Obama says ratification of the new treaty is ‘essential’ for our national security. Is it really, or could it actually be detrimental? Before the Senate ratifies START II, it should take a very careful look to make sure the treaty will not weaken our defense capabilities. The ratification process should be delayed until the opening of the next Congress and not rushed through the few remaining days of a lame duck Senate. We don’t need a repeat of history.