disarmament

disarmament A policy aimed at the banning of armaments, or their reduction to the lowest level possible. It is different from arms control, which seeks to manage the arms race by maintaining a balance between the capabilities of both sides. Disarmament, on the other hand, envisages a dramatic reduction in arms in order to achieve peace. Attempts to achieve disarmament by international agreement began before World War I and in 1932 there was a World Disarmament Conference. In 1952 a permanent United Nations Disarmament Commission was established in Geneva. National disarmament pressure groups have tended to seek unilateral disarmament, for example the CAMPAIGN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT. Bilateral agreements are negotiated between two governments, while multilateral agreements are arranged via international conferences or the UN Commission. Important arms limitation talks include the STRATEGIC ARMS LIMITATION TALKS (SALT) and the STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TALKS (START). In the START II Treaty ratified in 1992, the USA and Russia agreed to reduce their nuclear arsenals by two thirds by 2003. In 1994 the USA and Russia agreed not to keep their missiles permanently aimed at each other.