Arms control
Arms control refers to the international efforts to regulate and limit the development, stockpiling, and use of various types of weapons, including conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction like nuclear and chemical weapons. The primary objective is to prevent the proliferation of such weapons and to reduce the risks associated with arms races between nations, particularly during times of political tension. This process often involves diplomatic negotiations resulting in treaties that may be voluntarily agreed upon by nations or enforced through sanctions on non-compliant states. Historically, the concept of arms control gained momentum after World War I, evolving through subsequent conflicts including World War II and the Cold War, where the focus shifted to managing existing arsenals rather than outright disarmament.
In the 21st century, arms control initiatives have expanded to address threats from non-state actors and regional conflicts, with significant agreements such as the Arms Trade Treaty and the Iran Nuclear Deal. Additionally, humanitarian organizations and coalitions like NATO are increasingly involved in promoting arms control measures. Despite notable achievements, challenges persist, particularly with countries that pose ongoing threats, highlighting the continuous need for dialogue and cooperation in global arms control efforts.
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Arms control
Arms control refers to international restrictions upon nations regarding weapons of varying sizes and capabilities. It involves setting limits on the production, stockpiling, usage, and proliferation—which is a rapid increase in numbers—of weapons. Arms control can apply to anything from small arms, such as hand or machine guns; conventional weapons like land mines or bombs; and weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear, radiological, or chemical weapons. The restriction of these weapons is carried out by using diplomacy that seeks to impose agreements by participants through international treaties. Generally the agreements are made by consenting parties or nations, but arms control can also involve a nation or group of nations enforcing limitations on a non-consenting country through use of sanctions. Arms control treaties can be negotiated by government agencies or by nongovernmental humanitarian organizations. The treaties are often viewed as a way to avoid costly and dangerous arms races, which occur when two nations try to compete with each other for the best armed forces.
Background
The history of arms control can generally be broken down into three parts, with the first beginning after World War I (1914–18). After the war, a movement began that viewed weapons as a significant part of the problem and reason behind the war. Many saw disarmament—which is when a nation withdraws or scales down its military forces and weaponry—as a solution. The League of Nations, which was in existence from 1920 to 1946, was created after World War I to provide a forum for international disputes. The group, which was headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, included in its mission statement, called the Covenant, a call for nations to reduce their weapons to the lowest point consistent with national safety. Several other moves were made in the years following World War I to limit weapons, including the Washington Naval Conference of 1921–22, which produced an agreement to limit naval expansion, and the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which prohibited the use of chemical weapons.
World War II (1939–45) prompted a brief shift in thinking, particularly brought on by the militarization of Japan and Germany that preceded the war. Many became convinced in the 1930s during the years leading up to the war that an increase in weapons, rather than a decrease, may be the best way to preserve peace or make wars that did occur less destructive. However, it was the Manhattan Project in the United States that prompted a return to a push for disarmament and arms control. The Manhattan Project was a secret research and development mission during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. The idea that such weapons could kill so many at once and cause so much destruction prompted a return to the post–World War I idea that nations needed to focus on disarmament. This new push for arms control continued throughout the early 1950s.
A second era of arms control began in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as many civilian and military policymakers developed a new way of thinking about disarmament. This occurred during the Cold War, which was a time of political tension, particularly between the United States and the Soviet Union. A nuclear deterrence relationship developed between the powers that led many to believe that even just the idea of nuclear weapons could be used to help preserve peace, rather than leading to destruction. Negotiations and policies began to shift away from the elimination of nuclear weapons, instead focusing on the management of those weapons. It was around this time that the phrase arms control was adopted to better describe the efforts, although the term disarmament was still used. Agreements were made that better allowed leaders in the United States and the Soviet Union to communicate in times of crisis, with modest caps being placed on nuclear forces and more dramatic limits being made to antiballistic missile systems.
Overview
The third phase of arms control continued into the twenty-first century. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War brought on a significant reduction in the nuclear weapons arsenals of both the United States and Russia. In the 1990s, the focus of the arms control community shifted from major nations to smaller nations and the conflicts within and between those nations. Humanitarian groups focused on arms control, although in existence for years, began to gain more of a voice among the international community.
Another key development during this era was the shift in focus to block non-state actors—those not associated with any particular country, but rather terror organizations—from acquiring advanced weapons. Other major developments have included the ban of antipersonnel land mines made during the Ottawa Process in 1997; the ban on cluster munitions made by the Oslo Process in 2008; the Arms Trade Treaty in 2014 that placed strict rules on international arms transfers; and the Iran Nuclear Deal in 2015 that focused on the restriction and reduction of Iran's nuclear programs.
In addition to national governments, there are many nongovernmental agencies working to further the goal of arms control. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), for example, which is an organization made up of thirty-one member countries, is committed to a policy in arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation. Other organizations include the Arms Control Association, which was founded in 1971, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Amnesty International. Although great strides have been made in the efforts to reduce or control the number of weapons in the world, those in the arms control community agree there is still more work to be done. Threats continued into the twenty-first century not only from terrorist organizations, but also in nations such as Syria, Russia, and North Korea. Work also continued in the effort to reduce or eliminate the number of nuclear weapons in the world. In 2017 the United Nations adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which outlawed all nuclear weapons and was viewed by some in the international community as a significant step toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons. The TPNW entered into force in early 2021, but not all entities supported the treaty. NATO was one organization that was not in favor of the TPNW as its members believed the treaty created unrealistic expectations and an inconsistent path to global nonproliferation. Two meetings regarding promoting further disarmament were held by TPNW member states. The first occurred in June 2022, while the second occurred in late November and early December 2023.
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