Theories and Practice in Arms Control

Arms control, a means of maintaining national security, means control over the degree of arms development. It functions in managing and arranging arms competition on principles of military stability and balance. It can be viewed as a measure pointing to the direction of general disarmament. This article attempts to offer a systemic description of the history, the theory and the role of arms control. Difficulties of and obstacles to arms control in the post Cold War period and a shift of its function are discussed. Causes that have given rise to this situation are analyzed, and future tendency of arms control is anticipated.