Does the International Law make any distinction between arms control and disarmament?
For some authors these are synonyms, others, including myself, define arms control as a type of disarmament. However, even for disarmament specialists, both the depth and reach of these terms are confusing. Arms control emerged during the Cold war as a synonym for disarmament, which mainly meant reducing strategic weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear weapons. In the 1960s, Thomas C. Schelling defined arms control as a way of reducing the chances of a war, its possible costs and the costs of defense. In the1970s, arms control meant reducing strategic weapons. In the 1980s it returned to its 1960’s definition. In addition to promoting dissuasion, arms control, which contemplated the cost of conflict risk for international relations, was expanded to encompass the cost of conflict risk within the countries themselves. What would be the UN’s role in national disarmament processes? As strange as it may seem no disarmament treaty has yet come out of the United Nations. Even the most im
