The Disarmament sculpture, a gift by the government of Luxembourg to the United Nations (1988).

Disarmament refers to the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. 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 ^[1] The context of disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. The most common form of disarmament is abolishment of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms. 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 A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. General and Complete Disarmament refers to the removal of all weaponry, including conventional arms. ^[2]

Definitions of disarmament

Disarmament can be contrasted with arms control, which essentially refers to the act of controlling arms rather than eliminating them. Arms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development production stockpiling Proliferation, and usage of Weapons especially Weapons of mass Disarmament has also come to be associated with three things, none of which relate to the systematic and comprehensive reduction of weapons:

• The aforementioned arms control, which is not associated with a schedule of gradually reducing and then eliminating major weapons systems. These agreements have been criticized in writings by Seymour Melman and Alva Myrdal. Seymour Melman ( December 30 1917 – December 16 2004) was an American professor emeritus of Industrial engineering and Operations Alva Reimer Myrdal ( January 31, 1902 &ndash February 1, 1986) received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982
• Nuclear disarmament, which does not address civilian weapons and military systems whose firepower and extent of damage can be considerable. Nuclear disarmament is the proposed dismantling of Nuclear weapons. The war in Iraq has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign In the Korean War, hundreds of thousands have died. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the In so-called "New Wars" in Africa, millions have died. New wars describe international or civil wars of Low-intensity conflict that involve a myriad of transnational connections so that the distinctions between internal and external In none of these cases were nuclear weapons used. Yet, the extent of civilian and military deaths have been considerable, surpassing the damage caused by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Two. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks near the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States at
• Unilateral disarmament, which seeks to reduce weapons systems in either an ad hoc fashion or based on initiatives within one nation. Unilateral disarmament is a Policy option to renounce weapons without seeking equivalent concessions from one's actual or potential rivals This approach fails to leverage reductions in one country for reductions in another, or series of countries. Furthermore, unilateral disarmament, as was advocated in the United Kingdom, fails to assuage the concerns of "realists" about the dangers of weapons systems and power projection by other countries.

Philosophically, disarmament should be viewed as a form of demilitarization, part of an economic, political, technical, and military process to reduce and eliminate weapons systems. Demilitarisation or demilitarization is the reduction of a nation's army weapons or military vehicles to an agreed minimum Thus, disarmament is part of a set of other strategies, like economic conversion, which aim to reduce the power of war making institutions and associated constituencies. Economic conversion, defence conversion, or arms conversion, is a Technical, Economic and Political process for moving from Military Disarmament need not be a "utopian" project in the sense of being misguided or naive. Rather, various strategies can be used to promote the political, economic, and media power necessary for demilitarization.

History

An example on the feasibility of the elimination of weapons is the policy of gradual reduction of guns in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate. The Arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus, harkbus or hackbut; from Dutch haakbus, meaning "hook gun" is The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the, and the, was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the Shoguns of In two centuries, Japan passed from being the country with more guns per capita to producing (or importing) none.

Disarmament conferences and treaties

Conferences

• 1899: Hague Conferences
• 1932-34: World Disarmament Conference
• The Conference on Disarmament (CD)^[3]
• Anti-Personnel Landmine Convention (APLC)
• 1980: Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW)
• 1972: Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)
• 1993: Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

Naval

Main article: Naval conference

• 1908–1909: London Naval Conference
• 1921–1922: Washington Naval Conference
• 1927: Geneva Naval Conference
• 1930: London Naval Conference leading to the London Naval Treaty
• 1935: London Naval Conference leading to the Second London Naval Treaty

Treaties

• Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
• Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
• London Naval Treaty
• Second London Naval Treaty
• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
• Outer Space Treaty
• Seabed Arms Control Treaty
• Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty
• Treaty battleship
• Treaty of Rarotonga
• Treaty of Tlatelolco
• Washington Naval Treaty
• Wassenaar Arrangement
• 1919: Treaty of Versailles, included disarmament clauses
• Anglo-German Naval Agreement
• 1999:Ottawa Treaty

  The Ottawa Treaty was passed and signed by 130 nations. The Hague Conventions were international treaties negotiated at the First and Second Peace Conferences at The Hague, Netherlands in 1899 and The Disarmament Conference of 1932-34 (sometimes World Disarmament Conference or Geneva Disarmament Conference) was an effort by member states of the League of The United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons ( CWC or CCWC) concluded at Geneva on October 10, 1980 and 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 There were three major international Naval conferences in London, the first in 1908-09 the second in 1930 and the third in 1935 The Washington Naval Conference was a military conference called by the administration of President Warren G The Geneva Naval Conference was a conference held to discuss naval arms limitation held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1927 There were three major international Naval conferences in London, the first in 1908-09 the second in 1930 and the third in 1935 The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed There were three major international Naval conferences in London, the first in 1908-09 the second in 1930 and the third in 1935 The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in London, the United Kingdom, on December 9, 1935. 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 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT bans all nuclear explosions in all environments for military or civilian purposes The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty ( INF) was a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in London, the United Kingdom, on December 9, 1935. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT or NNPT) is a Treaty to limit the spread Key points of the Treaty The Outer Space Treaty represents the basic legal framework of international space law The Seabed Arms Control Treaty (or Seabed Treaty) is a multilateral agreement between the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and 84 The Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ of 1995, or Bangkok Treaty, is a Nuclear weapons moratorium treaty between 10 Asian member-states A treaty battleship was a Battleship built in the 1920s or 1930s under the terms of one of a number of international treaties The Treaty of Rarotonga is the common name for the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, which formalizes a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the South Pacific The Treaty of Tlatelolco is the conventional name given to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean. 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 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 Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. The Anglo-German Naval Agreement (AGNA of June 18 1935 was a Bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and the German ''Reich'' 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 banned the production, trade, and use of all anti-personnel landmines. Today, 30 nations have destroyed their stockpile of anti-personnel landmines. This treaty has been hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight for world disarmament.

Nuclear disarmament

The United Nations has worked for nuclear disarmament ever since its first resolution in 1946 entitled "The Establishment of a Commission to Deal with the Problems Raised by the Discovery of Atomic Energy. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Nuclear disarmament is the proposed dismantling of Nuclear weapons. " In 1954, India became the first country to seek a complete nuclear test ban^[4]

There are three types of nuclear disarmament:

• General Disarmament: allows nations to keep minimum necessary police force. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT bans all nuclear explosions in all environments for military or civilian purposes
• Quantitative and Qualitative Disarmament: involves overall reduction and abolition of only certain types of armaments.
• Total Disarmament: the complete elimination of armaments.

Disarmament barriers

The political and economic barriers to disarmament are considerable, mostly based on the concentrated power of those supporting militaristic approaches to foreign policy. Militarism is the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or One key barrier is ideological. Many foundations and universities have failed to support research in disarmament, instead favoring more ad hoc and limited approaches like arms control, conflict resolution, and limits on weapons systems in specific countries. The term "conflict resolution" refers to a range of processes aimed at alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict Part of this may be pragmatism, but often it is the result of a limited understanding of the history of disarmament (see References below). Attempts to restricting nuclear proliferation are of course a necessity. Bolstering these efforts would be assisted by checking the link between military intervention and nuclear proliferation. Many countries fearful of being invaded, particularly by the U. S. , have tried to secure or develop nuclear weapons. As a result, policies to limit military interventions may be part of a larger demilitarization program.

Misconceptions about disarmament

In his definition of "disarmament", David Carlton writes in the Oxford University Press Political dictionary, "But confidence in such measures of arms control, especially when unaccompanied by extensive means of verification, has not been strengthened by the revelation that the Soviet Union in its last years successfully concealed consistent and systematic cheating on its obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention. History 1928 - Revolutionary Military Council signed a decree about weaponization of Typhus. 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 " He also notes, "Now a freeze or a mutually agreed increase is not strictly speaking disarmament at all. And such measures may not even be intended to be a first step towards any kind of reduction or abolition. For the aim may simply be to promote stability in force structures. Hence a new term to cover such cases has become fashionable since the 1960s, namely, arms control. "^[5]

The problem with this line of thought is that it gives the appearance of confusing arms control with disarmament, even though it acknowledges some difference. Disarmament by definition involves inspection and verification procedures. Thus, the book by Seymour Melman, Inspection for Disarmament, addresses various problems related to the problem of inspection for disarmament, evasion teams, and capabilities and limitations of aerial inspection. Seymour Melman ( December 30 1917 – December 16 2004) was an American professor emeritus of Industrial engineering and Operations Gradually, as the idea of arms control displaced the idea of disarmament, the weaknesses of the present arms control paradigm have created problems for the idea of disarmament itself. Weak inspection procedures lead to cheating. Cheating discredits comprehensive disarmament, rather than the more superficial arms control regime. This kind of "guilt by association" is rather unfortunate and reflects a weakness in the academia in the understanding, teaching, and awareness of what disarmament really is. An association fallacy is an inductive Formal fallacy of the type Hasty generalization or red herring which asserts that qualities of one

Most citizens, students and even academics are unaware of the classic books on disarmament. ^[6]

References and footnotes

Specific references:

1. ^ "Disarmament. " The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 22 Mar. 2008. [Dictionary. com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Disarmament]
2. ^ UNITED NATIONS - Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)
3. ^ The UN office at Geneva - Disarmament in Geneva
4. ^ Twenty years later India conducted its own nuclear test. The Smiling Buddha was the first nuclear test explosion by India on May 18, 1974 at Pokhran.
5. ^ disarmament: Definition and Much More from Answers.com
6. ^ A survey of Google or Google Scholar hits on August 13, 2007 reported only five hits on Melman's aforementioned book. Google Scholar ( GS) is a freely-accessible Web search engine that indexes the full text of Scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats In contrast, traditional books pushing the notion of arms control score much higher. If we can rely on Google Scholar as a source, we see the term "arms control" used much more frequently than "disarmament. "

General references:

• Jonathan M. Feldman. "From the From Warfare State to 'Shadow State': Militarism, Economic Depletion and Reconstruction," Social Text, 91, Volume 25, Number 22 Summer, 2007.
• Seymour Melman, Editor, Inspection for Disarmament (New York: Columbia University Press, 1958).
• Alva Myrdal. The Game of Disarmament: How the United States and Russia run the arms race (New York: Pantheon, 1978).
• Marcus G. Raskin. "Draft Treaty for a Comprehensive Program for Common Security and General Disarmament," in Essays of a Citizen: From National Security State to Democracy (Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, Inc. , 1991): 227-291.

See also

• United Nations Art Collection
• Washington Naval Conference of 1921-22

External links

• UN - Disarmament Affairs
• Disarmament Insight Blogsite
• Seymour Melman Website Archive of Related Writings
• Economic Reconstruction Website Archive of Related Writings