MZUZU UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNANCE PEACE AND SECURITY STUDIES
TO : LT COL HE LEMANI
FROM : BLESSINGS PHIRI
REG. NUMBER : BAIRD 2621
COURSE CODE : SSAC 3603
COURSE TITLE : ARMS CONTROL AND NON PROLIFERATION
LEVEL : THREE
SEMESTER : SIX
TASK : IMPORTANCE OF ARMS CONTROL IN
INTERNATIONL SYSTEM
DUE DATE : 6TH SEPTEMBER, 2024
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Arms control is referred to as the international restrictions over the development, production,
stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, convention weapons and weapon of mass
destruction (Hedley, 1961). This arms control is exercised through diplomacy which intend to the
limitations upon consenting participants through international treaties and agreements.
They are two major theoretical approaches to arms control namely traditional and transformalist
approach (Gamal M, 2013). The Traditional Approach to arms control focuses on managing
military competition, ensuring stability, and preventing arms races through pragmatic and often
bilateral agreements. Although there is no realist amount of arms control in the literature, this
approach is mostly informed by the premises of realism, an important variant of structural realism
that seeks to explain why nations may engage in cooperative arrangements (Gamal M, 2013). This
approach aims for incremental progress and emphasizing the maintenance of a balance of power
to prevent war. In contrast, the Transformationalist Approach do not agree with the traditional
understanding of arms control as which its look at it as limited and incomplete (Gamal M, 2013).
Hence, they view arms control as a means to achieve cooperation among state and that can lead to
the removal of security dilemma. This approach aims for deeper disarmament and a fundamental
shift in global security dynamics. This approach seeks to reduce reliance on military force, change
international norms surrounding weapons use, and promote cooperation and peace. Both
approaches have their strengths and challenges, and each is relevant depending on the specific
goals of arms control in a given context and both have the same goal of creating a stable world.
Therefore, this essay explains more the importance of arms control in the international security
basing of these two theoretical approaches to arms control.
Firstly, arms control helps to reduce the likelihood of war in the international system (Larsen,
2002). One of the most effective approaches to lowering the chances of war is arms control since
it tends to limit the military capabilities of states. Arms control helps to reduce the likelihood of
war in many ways whereby some of them are limitation of arms race and promotion of global
stability. Arms race occurs when countries enter in a competitive acquisition of weapons (Jervis,
1993). This competitive acquisition of weapon has resulted into wars in the world. For example,
world war 1 was as the result of arms race between German and Britain. In the early 20th century,
Germany as a rising power sought to challenge the United Kingdom’s traditional naval dominance.
In 1906 Britain launched a new, more-advanced warship, the HMS Dreadnought, triggering a
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naval arms race. Between 1909 and the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Britain launched a further
19 dreadnoughts (i.e., turbine-powered all-big-gun warships) and a further nine battle cruisers,
while Germany launched 13 dreadnoughts and five battle cruisers (Kemp, 1991). This arms race
is often cited as one of the causes of World War I. Another war which happened a result of arms
race is cold war. Development of nuclear weapons became a significant cause and element of the
Cold War. Nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union is another example
of a 20th-century arms race. The United States’ use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
in 1945 demonstrated the immense destructive power of nuclear weapons, which alarmed the
Soviet Union (Nye, 1988). In response, the Soviet Union accelerated its own nuclear weapons
program and successfully tested its first atomic bomb in 1949. The Soviet Union conducted its
first nuclear test in 1949. At the end of 1956, the United States had 2,123 strategic warheads and
the Soviet Union had 84. Those numbers increased rapidly over the subsequent 30 years. The U.S.
arsenal peaked in 1967 at more than 31,000 warheads, and the Soviet arsenal peaked about 20
years later at more than 40,000. The arms race increased tensions, as both the U.S. and the Soviet
Union feared that the other might launch a nuclear strike, leading to a mutually destructive conflict
(Kemp, 1991). Therefore, by reducing arms race through arms control can reduce the risk of war
as seen above that both world war 1 and Cold war were as the result of arms races. On strategic
stability, arms control promotes this by creating conditions whereby no single country in
incentivized to strike first in a conflict. This is more significant in the context of nuclear weapons
where the doctrine of mutually assured destruction states that any nuclear war would result into
the destruction of both attacker and the defender. For example, the New START Treaty signed in
2010 between the United States and Russia is one of the example of how arms control enhances
stability. This treaty limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery
systems to launch them. By limiting these capabilities, both countries maintain balance of power
whereby reducing the incentive for either side to launch the strike first in the event of crisis.
Secondly, arms control helps to reduce the cost of preparing for war (Larsen, 2002). Arms control
agreement helps to reduce the cost of preparing for war by limiting the need for excess military
spending, curbing arms races and preventing weapon proliferation and controlling stockpiles.
Through regulating the development, production, and deployment of weapons, arms control can
prevent the economic burden associated with military buildup of a country. On military spending,
arms control is the one of primary way to reduce the cost of preparing for war by limiting the size
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and number of military weapons. Without arms control, country may engage themselves into
expensive military weapon production to keep up the future threats or wars since the world is
believed to be anarchy. This will increase the national budget in defense department. Therefore,
by imposing restrictions on the number of weapons that can be deployed and developed, arms
control treaties help nations to avoid this costly activity. A good example can be the strategic arms
reduction treaty1 (START). This treaty was a bilateral treaty between the United State and the
Soviet Union on the limitation and reduction of strategic offensive weapons (Gamal M, 2013).
This treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and was entered into force on 5 December 1994. The
strategic arms reduction treaty reduced the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and
delivery systems for both countries. By reducing the number of nuclear weapons, the treaty helped
both countries to reduce the amount of money they could spend in military. As a result, the billions
of dollars that would have been spend on developing new nuclear weapon systems were save. In
addition, the cost for preparing for help is reduced in such a way that it prevents weapon
proliferation of expensive and dangerous weapons to other nations or non-state actors. By
controlling the spread of weapons such as weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), helps to prevent
smaller or poorer nations from entering into costly arms races with their neighbors, and reduces
the global demand for expensive weapons. For example, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty
(NPT). The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was an agreement signed in 1968 by several of the
major nuclear and non-nuclear powers that pledged their cooperation in stemming the spread of
nuclear technology. Although the NPT did not ultimately prevent nuclear proliferation, in the
context of the Cold War arms race and mounting international concern about the consequences of
nuclear war, the treaty was a major success for advocates of arms control because it set a precedent
for international cooperation between nuclear and non-nuclear states to prevent proliferation (Nye,
1988). By preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to additional countries, the NPT has reduced
the potential for new arms races and helped to prevent the enormous financial costs associated
with developing and maintaining nuclear arsenals. This has allowed countries to focus their
resources on more pressing domestic concerns, rather than on costly military preparations (Kemp,
1991).
Furthermore, arms control also helps to reduce the damage if war occurs (Larsen, 2002). Arms
control plays an important role in minimizing the scope and scale of destruction that can happen
if war does break out. Through regulating or restricting certain types of weapons and military
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technologies, arms control treaties or agreements help to prevent the use of the most destructive
weapons of war, especially weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), and reduces collateral damage
to civilians and buildings or infrastructure. Arms control agreements also result into the presence
fewer weapon in the war field hence the amount of damage is also reduced. Arms control treaties
or agreements such as nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and the chemical weapon convention
(CWC), have been key instruments in reducing the likelihood of these weapons being use during
the wars. For example, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which escalated into full
scale of war in 2022 has raised some concerns regarding on the potential use of nuclear weapons.
Russia is one of the world’s largest nuclear powers and despite Ukraine not possessing any nuclear
weapons, there have not been stories that Russia is using nuclear weapon over Ukraine. This is
because of the existence of these arms control agreements. The existence of new START treaty
between Russia and United States has also likely contributed to deterring their use of these nuclear
weapons. The presence of nuclear arms control agreements has helped to reduce the risk that the
war could escalate into nuclear conflict hence easing the damage that it could cause on people or
the environment. Even though the situation is tense, the framework established by arms control
treaties have created a channel of communication between the nuclear armed states, which can
help to prevent the misunderstandings or miscalculations that could lead to the use of these
devastating weapons (Timothy, 2000). Another example is the ongoing conflict between Israel and
Gaza. This conflict has also many implications for arms control, particularly regarding the use of
chemical weapons. Both Israel and Gaza possess a range number of military capabilities, but arms
control agreements or treaties such as chemical weapon convention (CWC) have reduced the
likelihood of chemical weapon being used in this conflict. Israel is a signatory to the CWC, and
although the conflict remains violent, the absence of chemical or biological weapons has limited
the scale of damage that could otherwise be far worse. By controlling the spread and use of WMDs,
arms control helps ensure that even in intense conflicts, the most destructive weapons are not
deployed, thus reducing the potential for widespread devastation (Nye, 1988).
Lastly Arms control can establish communication mechanisms that build confidence between
parties and provide venues to discuss perceived violations or address new factors the original
agreement omitted (Ventura, 2018). Strategic stability is a fundamentally intersubjective
condition: it exists only when the nuclear powers in question believe it exists. To help bring about
convergent understandings of strategic stability, the conditions that underlie it, and the changes
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that could threaten it, arms control can provide venues for dialogue. Strategic stability dialogues
can elucidate the nuclear thinking of rivalrous states, creating some measure of predictability, and
build confidence in parties’ commitment to implementation. Arms control agreements can provide
avenues for settling disputes over implementation, including accusations of cheating, and integrate
new or unforeseen capabilities into the terms of the agreement—thereby making the agreement
impervious to inadvertent violations, resistant to misperception, and flexible amidst geopolitical
or technological change(Ventura, 2018). Arms control can also build broader trust among parties,
building a foundation for other cooperative ventures. Even those committed to developing
counterforce capabilities that could confer nuclear advantage can see benefits in arms control.
In conclusion, arms control is a crucial component of international relations, offering numerous
benefits that enhance global security and stability. Through reducing the likelihood of war, arms
control agreements minimize the risk of devastating conflicts and promote peaceful resolution of
disputes. Furthermore, arms control measures decrease the financial burden of preparing for war,
allowing nations to allocate resources to more pressing needs. If war does occur, arms control
reduces the potential damage and loss of life. Perhaps most importantly, arms control establishes
channels of communication among states, fostering trust and confidence that can help prevent
misunderstandings and miscalculations. By pursuing effective arms control measures, nations can
create a more stable and secure world, where the horrors of war are less likely to occur.
6
References
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