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International Relations & Diplomacy vocabulary · Conflict & Security

Arms control

Meaning in international relations & diplomacy, with examples

nounCommon term

In international relations & diplomacy, arms control means: Agreements and measures between states that limit the number, types, testing or use of weapons, especially nuclear weapons, in order to reduce the risk of war.

In Turkish: silah kontrolü, silahların denetimi

How it is used

Arms control talks lead to treaties with limits, inspections and verification. It is different from 'disarmament', which aims to remove weapons completely. Common phrases: arms control agreement, arms control regime, verification measures.

Example sentences

  1. The two states began arms control talks on long-range missiles.

  2. Verification is often the most difficult part of an arms control agreement.

  3. The course covers the history of arms control since the 1960s.

Common collocations

  • arms control talks
  • arms control agreement
  • arms control regime
  • verification measures
  • non-proliferationEfforts to stop the spread of weapons, especially nuclear weapons, and the technology to make them, to states or groups that do not already have them.
  • deterrenceThe strategy of preventing an attack by making a possible attacker believe that the costs, such as a strong response, would be greater than any gain.
  • confidence-building measuresPractical steps that states take to reduce mistrust and the risk of misunderstanding, such as sharing information, giving notice of military exercises or setting up hotlines.
  • security dilemmaA situation in which one state's efforts to make itself safer, such as buying weapons, make other states feel less safe, so they respond and overall insecurity rises.

More terms: Conflict & Security

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