The Future Of Arms Control | Heinrich Böll Stiftung

Dossier: The future of arms control

Cooperative arms limitations and reductions in times of global change

The Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin held an international expert conference on the “Future of Arms Control”, jointly organized with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) and the Institute for Peace Research and Security Studies (IFSH) at the University of Hamburg.

Around 20 speakers from 13 countries and some 30 more practitioners and academics came together to discuss the conditions and options for modern arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

The conference debated what functions arms control can fulfill under the changing conditions of the 21^st century as well as the interests of key actors. Additionally, the participants discussed how disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation instruments can be made more effective.

The Heinrich Böll Foundation and the IFSH are now pleased to publish the conference proceedings. We thank our authors for the eclectic and fruitful contributions and hope to help continuing and deepening the important debate with this publication.

Gregor Enste, Anne Finger, Götz Neuneck

Short Biographies
The future of arms control. International expert conference September 9-10, 2013

Proceedings of the conference

Engaging North Korea and promoting disarmament and non-proliferation in Northeast Asia

The US and its allies have engaged in efforts to stop North Korean nuclear program at least three times, every time ending up with a sense of betrayal. Now, it has become clear that North Korea did not really have the intention to abandon its nuclear program.

By Nobuyasu Abe

Russian Efforts to Acquire Precision Conventional Strike and Defense Capability: Implications for Conventional Arms Control in Europe.

A chain of events could lead to a new scenario of arms build-up in international politics. Russia is upgrading its conventional fire power while some NATO members think about improved nuclear deterrence.

By Nikolai Sokov

Arms Control in Peacebuilding Activities in Africa – A Perspective

Building and keeping peace is intrinsically tied to disarmament and arms control. Thus international trade and flow of weapons needs to be monitored when human rights and security are endangered.

By John Pokoo

Assessing the Need to Regulate U.S. Conventional Prompt Global Strike Systems

The United States intent to deploy a new Conventional Prompt Global Strike (CPGS). This short paper assesses the chief challenges the United States faces in allaying Russian concerns about about CPGS deployments.

By Dennis M. Gormley

Strengthening legitimacy and political will for nuclear trade controls

Besides threats to effectiveness, the multilateral export control system for nuclear weapons faces a separate challenge of political will and legitimacy.

By Mark Hibbs

Weapons development and harmful arms proliferation

Ben Coetzee reminds "that the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons were left unchecked and unregulated until it reached a point where it is costing the world billions of dollars to mitigate the damage caused by these weapons."

By Ben Coetzee

Pursuing an Improved Nuclear Order in Difficult Times

The global system of nuclear security has many gaps and weaknesses. Des Browne points out why Russia is a key player and what needs to be concentrated on at the Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands in 2014.

By Des Browne

The evolution of arms control: A longer-term perspective

"At its simplest, evolution in this field seems to be responsive to two sets of forces in the environment: the economics of fear and the economics of economics."

By Alyson JK Bailes

WMDFZ conference idea: What isn’t working, why, and what might have a chance

"At the heart of the problem is the existence of two competing logics for how arms control discussions in the Middle East should proceed: immediate focus on the elimination of Israel’s assumed nuclear weapons (Egypt’s view), or dealing first with the very problematic context of inter-state relations in the Middle East, creating essential channels of communication and dialogue, and establishing a basis of mutual confidence and trust (Israel’s view)."

By Emily B. Landau

Missiles and Related CSBMs/Reductions as Bridge-builders at the Helsinki Conference

"In May 2010, the 189 members of the Review Conference to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons endorsed holding a Middle East Conference (MEC) in 2012 whose aim would be to create a zone in the Middle East 'free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of destruction' (WMD)."

By Bernd W. Kubbig

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After the end of the cold war foreign and security policies have been subject to rapid change. This development has been further accelerated after September 11. Traditional security policies such as deterrence and containment have been replaced by risk prevention, crisis intervention, and preemptive policy measures. Increasingly questions of foreign, security, and developmental policy have become intertwined. The debates surrounding the war on Iraq have brought to the surface tensions between the USA and Europe – as well as within Europe itself. Against this background we would like to continue the debates on the future of transatlantic relations - and this against the background of new security policy risks, crisis prevention, and preemptive policies.

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Dossier: The future of arms control

Proceedings of the conference

Engaging North Korea and promoting disarmament and non-proliferation in Northeast Asia

How Much Is Enough? Nuclear Expansions in South Asia

Approaches to arms control with armed non-state actors

Can the use of unmanned systems be regulated?

U.S. Military Advantages and the Future of Nuclear Arms Control

A Zone Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction - The Middle East: Next Steps