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Arms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction. A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e Arms control is typically exercised through the use of diplomacy which seeks to impose such limitations upon consenting participants through international treaties and agreements, although it may also comprise efforts by a nation or group of nations to enforce limitations upon a non-consenting country. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states A Treaty is an agreement under International law entered into by actors in international law namely States and International organizations.

On a national or community level, arms control can amount to programs to control the access of private citizens to weapons. This is often referred to as gun politics, as firearms are the primary focus of such efforts in most places. Gun politics is a set of legal issues surrounding the ownership use and regulation of firearms as well as safety issues related to firearms both through their direct use and through

Contents

Enactment

Arms control treaties and agreements are often seen as a way to avoid costly arms races which would prove counter-productive to national aims and future peace. The term arms race, in its original usage describes a competition between two or more parties for real or apparent military supremacy Some are used as ways to stop the spread of certain military technologies (such as nuclear weaponry or missile technology) in return for assurances to potential developers that they will not be victims of those technologies. Additionally, some arms control agreements are entered to limit the damage done by warfare, especially to civilians and the environment, which is seen as bad for all participants regardless of who wins a war.

While arms control treaties are seen by many peace proponents as a key tool against war, by the participants, they are often seen as simply ways to limit the high costs of the development and building of weapons, and even reduce the costs associated with war itself. Arms control can even be a way of maintaining the viability of military action by limiting those weapons that would make war so costly and destructive as to make it no longer a viable tool for national policy.

Enforcement

Enforcement of arms control agreements has proven difficult over time. Most agreements rely on the continued desire of the participants to abide by the terms to remain effective. Usually, when a nation no longer desires to abide by the terms, they usually will seek to either covertly circumvent the terms or to simply end their participation in the treaty. This was seen in Washington Naval Treaty (and the subsequent London Naval Treaty), where most participants sought to work around the limitations, some more legitimately than others. The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, limited the naval armaments of its five signatories the United States of America, the The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed The United States developed better technology to get better performance from their ships while still working within the weight limits, the United Kingdom exploited a loop-hole in the terms, the Italians misrepresented the weight of their vessels, and when up against the limits, Japan simply left the treaty. The nations which violated the terms of the treaty did not suffer great consequences for their actions. Within little more than a decade, the treaty was abandoned. The Geneva Protocol has lasted longer and been more successful at being respected, but still nations have violated it at will when they have felt the need. The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating Poisonous or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, usually called the Geneva Protocol Enforcement has been haphazard, with measures more a matter of politics than adherence to the terms. This meant sanctions and other measures tended to be advocated against violators primarily by their natural political enemies, while violations have been ignored or given only token measures by their political allies.

More recent arms control treaties have included more stringent terms on enforcement of violations as well as verification. This last has been a major obstacle to effective enforcement, as violators often attempt to covertly circumvent the terms of the agreements. Verification is the process of determining whether or not a nation is complying with the terms of an agreement, and involves a combination of release of such information by participants as well as some way to allow participants to examine each other to verify that information. This often involves as much negotiation as the limits themselves, and in some cases questions of verification have led to the breakdown of treaty negotiations (for example, verification was cited as a major concern by opponents of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, ultimately not ratified by the United States). The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT bans all nuclear explosions in all environments for military or civilian purposes

Nations may remain in a treaty while seeking to break the limits of that treaty as opposed to simply withdrawing from it. This is for two major reasons. To openly defy an agreement, even if one withdraws from it, often is seen in a bad light politically and can carry diplomatic repercussions. Additionally, if one remains in an agreement, competitors who are also participatory may be held to the limitations of the terms, while withdrawal releases your opponents to make the same developments you are making, limiting the advantage of that development.

Theory of Arms Control

Scholars and practitioners such as John Steinbruner, Jonathan Dean or Stuart Croft worked extensively on the theoretical backing of arms control. Stuart Croft (1970 Leeds, England) is an Artist and Filmmaker. Arms control is meant to break the security dilemma. Security dilemma is a term used in International relations and refers to a situation wherein two or more States are drawn into conflict possibly even War It aims at mutual security between partners and overall stability (be it in a crisis situation, a grand-strategy, or stability to put an end to an arms race). The term arms race, in its original usage describes a competition between two or more parties for real or apparent military supremacy Other than stability, arms control comes with cost reduction and damage limitation. It is conceptually differentiated from disarmament since the maintenance of stability might allow for mutually controlled armament and does not take a peace-without-weapons-stance. Disarmament refers to the act of reducing limiting or abolishing Weapons. Nevertheless, arms control is a defensive strategy in principle, since transparency, equality, and stability do not fit into an offensive strategy.

History of Arms Control

One of the first recorded attempts in arms control was a set of rules laid down in ancient Greece by the Amphictyonic Leagues. The Amphictyonic League ( Amphictyony) was a form of Greek religious organization that was enjoined to support specific temples or sacred places and Rulings specified how war could be waged, and breaches of this could be punished by fines or by war.

There were few recorded attempts to control arms during the period between this and the rise of the Roman Catholic Church. The church used its position as a trans-national organisation to limit the means of warfare. The 989 Peace of God (extended in 1033) ruling protected noncombatants, agrarian and economic facilities, and the property of the church from war. The Peace and Truce of God was a Medieval European movement of the Catholic Church that applied spiritual sanctions in order to limit the violence of Private war The 1027 Truce of God also tried to prevent violence between Christians. The Peace and Truce of God was a Medieval European movement of the Catholic Church that applied spiritual sanctions in order to limit the violence of Private war A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth The Second Lateran Council in 1139 prohibited the use of crossbows against other Christians, although it did not prevent its use against non-Christians. The Second Lateran and tenth Ecumenical council was held by Pope Innocent II in April 1139, and was attended by close to a thousand clerics A crossbow is a Weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles often called bolts

The development of firearms led to an increase in the devastation of war. A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion The brutality of wars during this period led to efforts to formalise the rules of war, with humane treatment for prisoners of war or wounded, as well as rules to protect non-combatants and the pillaging of their property. Looting ( Hindi lūṭ akin to Sanskrit luṭhati steals also Latin latro, latronis However during the period until the beginning of the 19th century few formal arms control agreements were recorded, except theoretical proposals and those imposed on defeated armies.

One treaty which was concluded was the Strasbourg Agreement of 1675. The Strasbourg Agreement of 1675 is the first international agreement banning the use of Chemical weapons The treaty was signed between France and the This is the first international agreement limiting the use of chemical weapons, in this case, poison bullets. Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of Chemical substances to kill injure or incapacitate an enemy. The treaty was signed between France and Germany

The 1817 Rush-Bagot Treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom was the first arms control treaty of what can be considered the modern industrial era, leading to the demilitarisation of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain region of North America. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Rush-Bagot Treaty was a treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom enacted in 1817 (signed April 28-29 1817 at Washington D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Laurentian Great Lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada–United States border. Lake Champlain (French lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater Lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States This was followed by the 1871 Treaty of Washington which led to total demilitarisation. The Treaty of Washington was a Treaty concluded in 1871 between the United Kingdom and the United States for settling various differences between

The industrial revolution led to the increasing mechanisation of warfare, as well as rapid advances in the development of firearms; the increased potential of devastation (which was seen in the battlefields of World War I) led to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia calling together the leaders of 26 nations for the First Hague Conference in 1899. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Hague Conventions were international treaties negotiated at the First and Second Peace Conferences at The Hague, Netherlands in 1899 and The Conference led to the signing of the Hague Convention (of 1899) that led to rules of declaring and conducting warfare as well as the use of modern weaponry, and also led to the setting up of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Hague Conventions were international treaties negotiated at the First and Second Peace Conferences at The Hague, Netherlands in 1899 and The Permanent Court of Arbitration ( PCA) is an International organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.

A Second Hague Conference was called in 1907 leading to additions and amendments to the original 1899 agreement. The Hague Conventions were international treaties negotiated at the First and Second Peace Conferences at The Hague, Netherlands in 1899 and A Third Hague Conference was called for 1915, but this was abandoned due to the First World War. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

After the First World War the League of Nations was set up which attempted to limit and reduce arms. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 However the enforcement of this policy was not effective. Various naval conferences were held during the period between the First and Second World Wars to limit the number and size of major warships of the five great naval powers.

The 1925 Geneva Conference led to the banning of chemical weapons (as toxic gases) during war as part of the Geneva Protocol. The Geneva Naval Conference was a conference held to discuss naval arms limitation held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1927 Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of Chemical substances to kill injure or incapacitate an enemy. The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating Poisonous or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, usually called the Geneva Protocol The 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact, whilst ineffective, attempted for "providing for the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy". The Kellogg-Briand Pact, also known as the Pact of Paris, after the city where it was signed on August 27, 1928, was an international treaty "providing

After World War II the United Nations was set up as a body to promote world peace. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security In 1957 the International Atomic Energy Agency was set up to monitor the proliferation of nuclear technology, including that of nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its Nuclear power is any Nuclear technology designed to extract usable Energy from atomic nuclei via controlled Nuclear reactions A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. The 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed to prevent further spread of nuclear weapons technology to countries outside the five that already possessed them: the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France and China. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT or NNPT) is a Treaty to limit the spread The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) between the United States and Soviet Union in the late 1960s/early 1970s led to further weapons control agreements. The SALT I talks led to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and an Interim Strategic Arms Limitation Agreement (see SALT I), both in 1972. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty ( ABM Treaty or ABMT) was a treaty between the United States of America and the Soviet Union on the limitation The SALT II talks started in 1972 leading to agreement in 1979. Due to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan the United States never ratified the treaty, however the agreement was honoured by both sides. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت,

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed between the United States and Soviet Union in 1987 and ratified in 1988, leading to an agreement to destroy all missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometres. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty ( INF) was a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a self-propelled explosive Projectile used as a weapon towards a target

The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention was signed banning the manufacture and use of chemical weapons. The Chemical Weapons Convention ( CWC) is an Arms control agreement which outlaws the production stockpiling and use of chemical weapons Its full name is Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of Chemical substances to kill injure or incapacitate an enemy.

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties were signed, as START I and START II, by the US and Soviet Union, further restricting weapons. START (for St rategic A rms R eduction T reaty is a Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet START (for St rategic A rms R eduction T reaty is a Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet START II, the St rategic A rms R eduction T reaty, which was signed by United States President George H This was further moved on by the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions. The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Strategic Offensive Reductions ( SORT) better known as the Moscow Treaty "represents

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was signed in 1996 banning all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT bans all nuclear explosions in all environments for military or civilian purposes

List of treaties and conventions related to arms control

Some of the more important international arms control agreements follow:

Arms Control Organizations

There are numerous organizations that promote a global reduction in nuclear arms and offer research and analysis about U. The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, limited the naval armaments of its five signatories the United States of America, the The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating Poisonous or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, usually called the Geneva Protocol The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (usually referred to as the The Chemical Weapons Convention ( CWC) is an Arms control agreement which outlaws the production stockpiling and use of chemical weapons Its full name is Key points of the Treaty The Outer Space Treaty represents the basic legal framework of international space law The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT or NNPT) is a Treaty to limit the spread The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty ( ABM Treaty or ABMT) was a treaty between the United States of America and the Soviet Union on the limitation The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty ( INF) was a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Missile Technology Control Regime ( MTCR) drafted by Dr Richard H The Missile Technology Control Regime ( MTCR) drafted by Dr Richard H The original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe ( CFE) was negotiated and concluded during the last years of the Cold War and established comprehensive limits START (for St rategic A rms R eduction T reaty is a Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet START (for St rategic A rms R eduction T reaty is a Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet The Wassenaar Arrangement (full name "The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies" is a Multilateral export control The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT bans all nuclear explosions in all environments for military or civilian purposes The Ottawa Treaty or the Mine Ban Treaty, formally the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use Stockpiling Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their The Treaty on Open Skies entered into force on January 1, 2002, and currently has 34 States Parties The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Strategic Offensive Reductions ( SORT) better known as the Moscow Treaty "represents The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Strategic Offensive Reductions ( SORT) better known as the Moscow Treaty "represents On December 9, 1974, the sesquicentennial celebration of the Battle of Ayacucho, the site of Simón Bolívar 's final victory over Spain, eight S. nuclear weapons policy:


References

See also

External links

Gun politics is a set of legal issues surrounding the ownership use and regulation of firearms as well as safety issues related to firearms both through their direct use and through Nuclear disarmament is the proposed dismantling of Nuclear weapons. SALW is an Acronym, meaning Small Arms Light Weapons, a term used in Arms control protocols to refer to two main classes of weapons
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