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...

Effective in 1972, this multilateral agreement bans the emplacement of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction on the ocean floor.

1996 treaty banning all nuclear test explosions that has been signed by most countries but has not entered into force as key nuclear-armed states have not ratified it.

This treaty, opened for signature in 1996, commits African nations to denuclearization and establishes a nuclear-weapon-free zone across Africa.

Signed in 1995, this security pact establishes Southeast Asia as a completely nuclear-weapon-free zone to ensure regional peace and stability.

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...