Stabilising Power Balances In International System Through Arms Control: Issues And Problems

Abstract

Liberal reformers have often attacked the theory that power can be balanced to preserve world peace, order and security. Instead, they have advocated the biblical prescription that states should beat their swords into plowshares. The destructiveness of modern weapons has inspired many scholars and analysts once again to take this tenet of liberal theory seriously but this approach is not solely a liberal preserve. Many realists also see arms limitation as a way of stabilising the balance of power. In fact, most policy makers who have negotiated such agreements have been realists who perceived these treaties as prudent tools to promote the country's security. This paper examines the relevance of arms control in attaining balance of power and its inherent weakness in the international political system.