POL 355 Arms, Arms Control, & Proliferation (3 credits)

Anarchy in the international system has long challenged states and other actors to search for ways to provide for security. One of the most common approaches has been to procure armaments, but that method has never been without its critics. Even the advocates of more and better arms became worried in the second half of the twentieth century as the power and levels of stockpiles grew and the certainty and speed with which these destructive devices could reach their targets improved. Thus the idea of arms "control," a policy of managing the development of arsenals, emerged and guided superpower policy for two decades. This approach came under attack in the 1980s, from both the left and the right. As a result, new pressures for disarmament and build-up followed and coexisted uncomfortably for about two decades. The dawn of the new century has provided new challenges to the policies of armament, arms control, and non-proliferation as an examination of some special topics will demonstrate.