The Viability of Nuclear Arms Control

In the abstract, it is possible to conceive of a world dominated by arms control, one in which the advantages of striking first were eliminated, incentives to attack had been removed, the arms competition had been restrained, levels of forces had been substantially reduced, and military expenditures had been cut. In this idealized world, negotiated arms control would have produced a stable military environment in which the likelihood of war was low and the cost of security was relatively cheap. In reality, of course, the pursuit of arms control has produced no such dramatic results. Indeed, it is precisely the gap between the theoretical potential of arms control and its modest accomplishments that has caused frustration and dissatisfaction on the part of proponents of arms control.

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