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DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL:History of Disarmament

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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
LESSON 23
DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL
Justifications for Armament
Weapons are not the causes but the consequences of conflictive relations. A historical survey of the arms
race indicates that during the past two centuries this form of international competition often ends peacefully
in recognition of the military superiority of one side or the other.
Countries which have no adequate defense tempt aggressors and therefore preparing for war is the best way
to achieve peace.
Arguments for disarmament
Arms and arms races are costly and potentially very bloody. Arms reduction can curtail defense burden and
allow economic investment for more productive purposes.
The unchecked growth of armaments without economic means can lead to internal repression and external
aggression.
Arms Controls
Arms reduction implies partially disarmament based on mutually agreed set of arms levels between given
groups of nation states. Arms limitation includes a wide variety of international accords to limit impact of
potential wars or to prevent their accidental outbreak (exchange of information to prevent
misunderstanding or banning acquisition of particular types of weaponry).
History of Disarmament
Disarmament attempts can be traced back to the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, which stipulated against the
need for building fortifications. In 1816, the Czar of Russia proposed to the British government the
reduction of armaments, a call that was not well received however.
In 1863 and in 1869, France made similar calls for disarmament in Europe, but it too was ignored. In 1898,
the Tsar of Russia called on European powers to gather at Hague to discuss disarmament, a suggestion
which was well received, leading to the First Hague Peace Conference attended by 28 states.
In 1907, another conference was held at the Hague for the same purpose. Both conferences called upon
military and naval experts to propose reducing military expenditures through disarmaments, but the major
powers were not ready for such moves in practice.
Disarmament after WWI
The devastation caused by WWI impelled statesmen of the world to give serious thought to disarmament.
Woodrow Wilson in one of his famous fourteen points asserted armament should be reduced to `the lowest
point consistent with domestic safety'.
The Treat of Versailles (1919) also recognized that `the maintenance of peace requires the reduction of
national armaments'. The League of Nations was given the specific duty to secure a general agreement on
disarmament and the covenant of the League stated that only those countries will be allowed membership
who accepted the proposed agreement.
A permanent advisory commission was established in the League, but being comprised of military
personnel, it failed to make much progress in a path of disarmament.
The Council of the League appointed another commission in 1920, the Temporary Mixed Commission,
with a fixed four year mandate and comprised primarily of civilians. This temporary commission of the
League was asked to identify limitation of land and naval forces for various countries according to their
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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
national security needs, the commission also proposed compulsory arbitration and proposed international
aid to victims of aggression.
Unfortunately, the commission's recommendations were not accepted by members of the League of
Nations. In 1926, the League set up another preparatory commission for disarmament which prepared a
draft of a treaty considered at the Geneva conference of the League in 1932 by 61 states. Discussions on
this draft continued for 2 years but then the Japanese attack on Manchuria and the German withdrawal
from the treaty in 1933, dashed the hopes for disarmament.
Relevant Vocabulary
Conflictive: conflicting or tense
Armament: the process of acquiring weaponry
Impelled: compelled, obligated
Arbitration: resolution of disputes
Fortifications: building up of defenses
Suggested Readings
Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various
principals highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter 7 in `"A Study of International Relations" by Dr. Sultan Khan
Internet Resources
In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-pages for this lecture, which
provide useful and interesting information:
Websites on disarmament and non-proliferation
www.disarm.igc.org or www.ndf.org
Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WHAT IS ITS RELEVANCE?
  2. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEORIES IN IR
  3. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:Traditional Approach
  4. THE NATION-STATE SYSTEM:Further Evolution of Nation-State
  5. THE NATION STATE SYSTEM: BASIC FEATURES OF A NATION-STATE
  6. NATIONAL INTEREST:Criteria for Defining National Interest
  7. NATIONAL INTEREST:Variations in National Interest, Relevant Vocabulary
  8. BALANCE OF POWER (BOP):BoP from a historical perspective
  9. BALANCE OF POWER (CONTINUED):Degree of Polarization, Functions of BoP
  10. DIPLOMACY:How Diplomacy Functions, Traditional Versus Modern Diplomacy
  11. DIPLOMACY (CONTINUED):Diplomatic Procedures & Practices, Functions of Diplomacy
  12. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Judging Colonization
  13. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Types of Neo-Colonialism
  14. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Objectives of Imperialism
  15. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Criticism of IEO, NIEO Activities
  16. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Prerequisites for the NIEO
  17. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Origin of NAM, NAM’s Institutional Structure
  18. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT (CONTINUED):Cairo Summit, Egypt - 1964
  19. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Criticism of NAM, NAM and Pakistan
  20. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS - INTRODUCING THE COLD WAR PHENOMENON
  21. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):Truman Doctrine, Marshal Plan
  22. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):End of the Cold War
  23. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL:History of Disarmament
  24. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL (CONTINUED):Other Disarmament Efforts
  25. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  26. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (CONTINUED)
  27. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:Need for IGOs, Categorizing IGOs
  28. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):United Nations, Criticism of the UN
  29. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):European Union, World Bank
  30. THE ROLE OF DECISION MAKING IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  31. DECISION MAKING (CONTINUED):Rational Actor Model, Group Politics Model
  32. SYSTEMS APPROACH TO IR:Underlying Assumptions, Elements of the System
  33. SYSTEMS BASED APPROACH (CONTINUED) – DISTINCT SYSTEMS IN IR
  34. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY:Neoliberalism
  35. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY (CONTINUED):Liberalism vs. Social Democracy
  36. INTEGRATION IN IR:Preconditions for Integration, Assessing Integration
  37. GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS:Advocates of Globalization
  38. THE GLOBAL DIVIDE:World Social Forum, Can the Global Divide Be Bridged?
  39. FOCUS ON FOREIGN INVESTMENTS:Pro-poor Foreign Investments
  40. CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Components of a Conflict
  41. CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Creative response, Appropriate assertiveness
  42. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Global Concern for the Environment
  43. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Environmental Concerns and IR, Some Other Issues
  44. HOW IR DIFFER FROM DOMESTIC POLITICS?:Strategies for altering state behavior
  45. CHANGE AND IR:Continuity in IR, Causality and counterfactuals, IR in a nutshell