Nuclear proliferation poses a serious threat to international peace and security. The non-proliferation regime is the body of public international law that aims to counter this threat. It has been a cornerstone of global security for decades. This book analyses its main instruments. The book focuses on the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, international trade controls and the International Atomic Energy Agency. It describes the internal mechanics of these mechanisms, their development, and their strengths and weaknesses. It shows how they together are the basis of a political-legal order that is more than the sum of its parts, offering new insights on the role of international law in an area dominated by security-driven politics.

Reflecting the current debate about the value of traditional arms control in today¿s security environment, Arms Control and Cooperative Security thoroughly covers this complex topic. The authors critically review the historical record, highlight recent changes in the security arena, and consider the likelihood of new arms control agreements. Throughout, the discussion is presented in the context of international relations theory. The result is a comprehensive assessment of the present state and likely future of arms control and cooperative security¿especially relevant as many of the treaties crafted during the Cold War are nearing their expiration dates. -- Description from http://www.booktopia.com.au (Jan. 25, 2012).

This volume evaluates the impact of coercive arms control efforts to curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction in the twenty-first century. A new paradigm in arms control is gradually replacing the idea that mutually agreed restrictions on armaments can improve international security. Thus, Hedley Bull’s classic definition of arms control as the "cooperation between antagonistic pairs of states in military affairs" needs to be amended by a new notion of coercive arms control as the set of non-cooperative and non-reciprocal measures to restrict the weapons or military capabilities of certain states. This volume addresses the topic of how this ongoing paradigmatic shift will affect the effectiveness of arms control as a conflict management instrument.While some argue that new instruments can complement and strengthen traditional, multilateral and inclusive arms control regimes, others maintain that conflicts and contradictions between coercive and cooperative arms control regimes will severely limit their effectiveness. This volume provides a forum for academics and practitioners from around the globe to discuss these developments in depth and to assess the specific strengths and weaknesses of these new instruments of arms control. This book will be of much interest to students of arms control, global governance, foreign policy and IR/Security Studies in general.

Designed to introduce the reader to the critical issues of arms control and international security in the 1980s, this collection of provocative and challenging articles encourages a rethinking of conventional wisdom on strategic policy. The authors succinctly convey the tensions existing between those who would eliminate the weapons on which strategic deterrence has rested and those who see the Soviet nuclear buildup as a challenge that must be met with increased armaments. They reflect, as well, on the conceptual tension between eliminating nuclear weapons and answering the question of how defense can be managed in the nuclear era. Their contributions are at times compelling, at times frustrating, but at all times informative and of critical importance.

An essential guide offers a comprehensive collection of edited and annotated arms-control documents, dating from the late-19th century to the present day. 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.

The government's first Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) programs were created in 1991 to eliminate the former Soviet Union's nuclear, chemical, and other weapons and prevent their proliferation. The programs have accomplished a great deal: deactivating thousands of nuclear warheads, neutralizing chemical weapons, converting weapons facilities for peaceful use, and redirecting the work of former weapons scientists and engineers, among other efforts. Originally designed to deal with immediate post-Cold War challenges, the programs must be expanded to other regions and fundamentally redesigned as an active tool of foreign policy that can address contemporary threats from groups that are that are agile, networked, and adaptable. As requested by Congress, Global Security Engagement proposes how this goal can best be achieved. To meet the magnitude of new security challenges, particularly at the nexus of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, Global Security Engagement recommends a new, more flexible, and responsive model that will draw on a broader range of partners than current programs have. The White House, working across the Executive Branch and with Congress, must lead this effort.