Former President Richard Nixon signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 1972. Thursday, President George W. Bush announced that the U.S. will pull out, effective six months from now.

The U.S. abandonment of the treaty is disappointing news. It marks the end of a 29-year agreement that is considered the cornerstone of three decades of arms control.

“I have concluded the ABM treaty hinders our government’s ability to develop ways to protect our people from future terrorist or rogue-state missile attacks,” Bush said.

Russian President Vladamir Putin expressed that the decision to pull out did not come as a surprise but considers it a “mistake.”

The treaty bars the United States and Russia from developing missile defense shields under the premise that the threat of “mutually assured destruction” will prevent nuclear war.

There has been criticism of the plan to pull out and the system itself. Bush is making good on campaign promises that he would develop the controversial missile defense system that is known to be in violation of the ABM treaty. Bush’s plan is for a system that has not been proven effective, and has been lauded as a far-fetched pipe dream by the scientific community.

Not to mention that the cost of the system is enormous, likely to drain money from necessary social programs.

The Withdrawal is straining relations with other nations and has the potential to start an arms race.

“The Americans’ pullout will alter the nature of the international strategic balance in freeing the hands of a series of countries to restart an arms build-up,” said General Anatoly Kvashnin, the head of Russia’s armed forces.

Officials in the Russian government warn that construction of America’s missile defense system may force China to bulk up its nuclear arsenal, thus pressing India and Pakistan to follow.

Vladimir Volkov, deputy head of the defense committee in Russia’s State Duma said, “All in all, the U.S. move will spark a new nuclear arms race and lead to a reduction in the level of security.”

In addition, the announcement to withdraw is impeccably timed. It has been conveniently announced in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, a time when criticism of the plan could be easily defended.

The inordinate amount of money used for the system is better spent on dissolving the atmosphere where the threat of nuclear war is real. In pulling out of this treaty we are contributing to a global environment of mistrust.

In a time of great conflict and uncertainty, we must be working harder than ever to expand and improve international agreements and relationships.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Zach Calef, Omar Tesdell