[credit_guy]

> If a nation ignores a treaty, the reaction should not be "Oh, that was to be expected".

A nation can withdraw from a treaty instead of ignoring it. The US just withdrew from the INF treaty. In retaliation, Russia withdrew too (they were the only signatories).

In 1936 Japan withdrew from the Washington Naval Treaty and built the formidable battleship Yamato (armed with 18 inch guns, by far the largest in WW2). What was the world supposed to do? The US imposed various sanctions on Japan. At some point the sanctions became so hard that they amounted to an economic death sentence. WW2 was not averted.

The unpleasant truth is that international treaties are not worth a whole lot. For the simple reason that there's no international equivalent of law enforcement.

[jabiko]

> A nation can withdraw from a treaty instead of ignoring it

Yes, as far as I can see both the INF and the Outer Space Treaty explicitly include the possibility for a withdrawal (with prior notice).

At least this publicly signals the intent of a nation to do something which would violate the treaty instead of just silently ignoring it.

[kevin_thibedeau]

The US withdrew because Russia violated the treaty. Russia wasn't "retaliating" because the whole issue was instigated by them.