The Last Nuclear Leash Is Gone — New START Expires, Leavingthe World Without a Safety Net

On February 4, 2026, the New START Treaty — the last remaining legally binding nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia — expired. No replacement was agreed, no extension signed. For the rst time since the early Cold War, neither Washington nor Moscow faces any legal ceiling on the size of their deployed nuclear arsenals. Experts warn that the loss of transparency mechanisms built into the treaty could accelerate miscalculation and mistrust between the two sides.

This may seem distant from Accra, but the implications are deeply felt across Africa. A destabilised global nuclear order diverts superpower attention and diplomatic energy away from development cooperation. As a founding member of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (Treaty of Pelindaba), Ghana has a respected voice in non-proliferation diplomacy that it must now use louder than ever.