Obama and Medvedev sign the Prague Treaty, 2010. On February 5, 2026, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between Russia and the United States expired  after sixteen years of operation. The treaty, modeled after previous arms deals dating back to 1991, limited  the number of Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles to 700 and the number of nuclear warheads to 1,550. The deal also placed  restrictions on Russian submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). The

Jean-Léon Gérôme’s 1872 painting Pollice Verso depicting the passing of judgement on a fallen gladiator through the downturned thumb. Note that this painting is subject to great historical debate, with some scholars claiming that the closed fist signalled life and an upward thumb death. Beyond specifics, the policy remains true—and imagery powerful. In ancient Rome, as the triumphant gladiator towered over his defeated opponent, the colosseum would turn its gaze to the empero