US withdrawal from INF will open Pandora's box

It is to be hoped that United States President Donald Trump's threat to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is merely to woo votes in mid-term elections, or to exact concessions from Russia.

For if he does dismantle the historic treaty, the US president will be removing a crucial cornerstone of the post-Cold War nuclear security regime, and truly opening a Pandora's box of troubles.

The 1987 treaty, which bans ground-launched nuclear missiles with ranges from 300 to 3,400 miles, put an end to a dangerous US-Russia nuclear standoff in Europe, and led to nearly 2,700 short-and medium-range missiles being eliminated. It has not only saved both signatories a costly and hazardous nuclear arms race, but offered reliable protection for the US and its allies in Europe and the Far East.