Sometimes successful and sometimes not, arms-control agreements are strenuously negotiated by the parties involved, yet they quickly become obsolete as technology advances and new weapons come on the scene. Thus, such agreements are best understood strategically, not as ends in themselves, but rather as one essential avenue of securing national and global security—an important means of allowing countries around the world to work out their differences at the negotiating table instead of on the battlefield.
Arms Control and Global Security: A Document Guide offers an unprecedented and comprehensive collection of arms-control documents dating from the late-19th century to the present. The book includes documents addressing the control of weapons of mass destruction, the banning of biological and chemical weapons, the weaponization of space, regional arms control, and bilateral agreements, as well as the limitations of conventional weaponry. The documents are edited and annotated for nonspecialists, and charts, tables, and sidebars provide additional information throughout.