Let us not forget that U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were mortal enemies. Their foreign policy priority was to wipe out capitalism, and our priority was to wipe out communism. We came close to nuclear war on several occasions. But after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the hotline and the test ban treaty were negotiated. And all U.S. and U.S.S.R. administrations for the next thirty years negotiated and upheld agreements, resulting ultimately in limiting and dismantling parts of our arsenals. Another effect of the U.S. and U.S.S.R. agreements was to slow down nuclear weapons development worldwide, because the major powers set the example and gained the credibility to limit nuclear development elsewhere.
Through the new treaty, Iran gives up any vision of bombing our ally, Israel, out of existence. Israel effectively gives up the same vision.
They may still be mortal enemies, but the nuclear option is gone. It is hard to come to agreement with your enemies and an agreement like this one happens very rarely. We would be nuts to pass it up.
—Michael Glass, Glen Ellyn
