Best Arms Control

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, established in 1968, is a landmark multilateral treaty designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. It obligates signatories to either not develop or acquire them or to pursue peaceful applications of nuclear technology. The UN initiated this agreement to...

The Chemical Weapons Convention is a landmark international treaty established in 1993. It prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of chemical weapons. Nearly every nation participates under the oversight of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW...

The Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, established in 1987, was a landmark agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. It mandated the complete elimination of all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles possessing ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometers. This treaty significan...

The Treaty of Tlatelolco is an international agreement signed in Mexico City in 1967. It established a nuclear-weapons-free zone encompassing Latin America and the Caribbean. This treaty remains significant as it was the first regional arms control agreement and solidified a commitment to preventing...

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was a landmark agreement signed in 1987 between the United States and the Soviet Union. It eliminated all ground-launched ballistic missiles with ranges of less than 3,000 miles. This treaty significantly reduced Cold War tensions by dismantling a key com...

The Geneva Protocol of 1925 is an international treaty establishing a norm against the use of chemical and biological weapons during wartime. It emerged in response to concerns following World War I’s extensive deployment of such weaponry. The protocol remains significant as one of the earliest mult...

The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, signed in 1963, established a landmark agreement to halt nuclear weapons testing within the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater. This treaty represented an early effort during the Cold War to limit proliferation and reduce radioactive fallout. It was primaril...

The Biological Weapons Convention is a landmark 1972 treaty established under the United Nations. It represents the first multilateral agreement to prohibit the development, production, stockpiling, and use of biological weapons. The convention aims to prevent the proliferation of these dangerous ag...

SALT I, formally the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty of 1972, represents a pivotal moment in the Cold War. This treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union established limits on the production of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. It was notable...

The Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty is a 1990 agreement among NATO and its Eastern European partners. It aimed to reduce offensive armored forces and artillery within Europe following the end of the Cold War. The treaty established limits on military equipment and troop deployments, contr...

The Ottawa Treaty, formally known as the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, is a multilateral treaty prohibiting the production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of anti-personnel landmines. Signed in 1997, it represents a significant humanitarian achievement with over 160 state parties. The...

The Convention on Cluster Munitions, adopted in Dublin in 2008 and entered into force in 2010, prohibits the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster bombs due to their indiscriminate post-conflict effects on civilians.

The Seabed Arms Control Treaty, formally the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor, was opened for signature in 1971 and entered into force in 1972. It prohibits placing nuclear weapons or other weapon...

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) prohibits all nuclear test explosions for both military and civilian purposes. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 1996 and has been signed by 187 states. The treaty has not entered into force because it requires ratification by 44...

The Treaty of Pelindaba, opened for signature in 1996 and entering into force in 2009, commits African nations to denuclearization and establishes a nuclear-weapon-free zone across the continent. It prohibits the research, development, manufacturing, stockpiling, acquisition, testing, possession, an...

The Treaty of Rarotonga, formally the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, is a 1985 international arms control agreement that establishes a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the South Pacific. The treaty obligates participating nations to prohibit the testing, manufacturing, and stationing of nuclear...

The Treaty of Bangkok, formally the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, was signed on December 15, 1995, by member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The agreement commits its signatories to maintaining the region free of nuclear weapons, prohibiting the...

Détente, meaning 'easing of tension,' was a period of reduced political and military tension between the US and the USSR, primarily during the late 1960s and 1970s. It was characterized by arms limitation treaties (SALT) and increased diplomatic dialogue. It proved that superpower rivalry could coex...

1979 US-Soviet arms control treaty limiting strategic nuclear delivery vehicles, signed by Carter and Brezhnev but never ratified by the US Senate.

This 1979 UN agreement establishes that the moon and other celestial bodies should be used exclusively for peaceful, scientific purposes.