Role of Arms Control and Disarmament in Achieving Human Security.
Scholar: Saira Bashir.
MS International Relations
Muslims Youth University Islamabad.
Abstract: The continued proliferation of all types of arms and militarization area source of significant concern for human security. Sustained arms controls processes that lead to eventual disarmament are the panacea for enhancing human security. This paper examines how arms control and disarmament can complement that measures to achieve human security by reducing the security, tension, danger of war, health hazards. Human insecurity increases due to security hurdles, mutual suspicion, and the role of major powers. Human security can be increased by taking measures to control arms proliferation. The measures to reduces the risk of war would include establishing an integrated and comprehensive regional strategy, maintaining existing multilateral and regional standards, and creating a rules-based agreed frameworks for legitimate use of force.
Key Words: Arms Proliferation, Disarmament, Arms Control, Human Security.
Introduction: The superpowers competition to gain competitive advantage has been deconstructed and the environment for disarmament has been vitiated. Internal conflicts with unprecedented casualties and egregious human right violations have risen at an alarming rate in place of improved peace and security. It seems war has not done enough tragedy to the human race, considering and ignominious series of civil wars, crises, militancy, insurgencies, and terrorism to mention a few on an unprecedented scale. Arms proliferation and fuel conflict is a great risk to human security. Even the end of cold war could not create conditions for comprehensive arms control and disarmament. Biological and chemical weapons conventions were Instrumental in the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction but the nuclear armed states continue to vertically proliferate both qualitatively and quantitatively. To uphold international peace and security, the united Nations Security Council (UNSC) is primarily responsible for arms control and disarmament. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) first considered the issue of armaments control and disarmament during its conference in Belgrade in 1961. As a result, arms control and disarmament have become fundamental aspirations of the global security architecture. Arms control was viewed as a pillar supporting strategic stability and preserving the balance of power between the superpowers and their respective allies.
Conceptual Analysis: This study examines the effective implementation of arms control and disarmament in tackling the menace of arms proliferation to achieve human security. Arms control and disarmament often refer to alternatives to combating conflict and violence. The goal is to manipulate the weapons, such as the impulse for assault, to eliminate a conflict. Arms control refers to efforts, thought international agreements, to lessen the likelihood, size and cost of war. Disarmament, on the other hand, is the control, collection, and disposal of arms and ammunition, which includes the development of responsible arms management programs. Security is a situation in which something has been safeguarded and preserved. It refers to freedom from risk or lack and defense against theft, sabotage, infiltration, and espionage. Hence, human security refers to a condition in which a person’s life, body and general well- being have been safeguarded. Human security has been preoccupied with the need to defend fundamental human rights.
Armament and Proliferation of Arms: The world has culminated with tension posed by armament, the arms race and its proliferation. Armament is defined by Merriam Webster as a military equipment of war or the collective of a state’s military strength. Proliferation, on the other hand, refers to the dispersion of weapons capabilities and technologies. The consistent spread of weaponry has been challenge of most national, regional, and international institution, including the UN as there has been a threefold increase in the production of weaponry lately. Strangely, the majority of the nations that have utilized weapons to inflict havoc do not manufacture them.
Hence, the following are the identified source of arms.
Arms Supplied During the Cold War Years. The massive quantities of weapons used during the Cold War era were a part of those that still go around. It was opined that two million small arms and light weapons are still circulating in central America, seven million in West Africa, are sixteen million in Afghanistan.
International Transfer. It has become harder to quantify and even more challenging to manage the global trade in weapons and ammunition. Very few national governments disclose statistics on the purchase or transfer of weaponry. Sadly, a large portion of the trade is conducted though the black market.
Production Trends: During WWII, the primary industrialized nations in the West and East dominated the global armaments market. Amore significant number of weapons were produced with US and USSR licenses in the 1960s and 1970s. Since the 1980s, several developing countries, including regional powers, have built their own national arsenals though manufacturing or purchasing. Many of these are now in use and quickly move from one place to another.
Smuggling. The steadily increasing smuggling activities across various states, borders are alarming. Arms proliferation is now the first and most lucrative kind of organized crime. There is also stealing from national armories by unscrupulous elements added by illegal sales agents.
Returnee soldiers. Most of the soldiers of countries involved in peacekeeping programs in conflict- ridden states have provided the country’s black market with a ready source of Small Arms and Light Weapons(SALWs). These returnee soldiers were an accused of facilitating the illegal flow of arms into their various countries and other places.
Effects of Arms and Ammunition on Humanity. The influence of arms has changed drastically from means of security to tools of destruction, thereby adding to the untold suffering of the world. The adverse repercussions of the proliferation of arms have been widespread, varied and increasing every day, but the most significant are:
1.It has given rise to an arms race that has the potential of causing more insecurity, termed “security dilemma”, which means when the action of a state takes to increase its security causes a reaction in a second sate, decreasing the first state’s security. It adversely affects vulnerable groups particularly women, children, and older people.
2.Arms proliferation also led to an increased number of refugees and Internally Displaced Person. These people were forced out of their homes.
3.It jeopardizes fundamental human rights, hinders effective governance, and impedes economic growth. The proliferation of arms will make it impossible to meet development availability goals.
In short, arms proliferation also affects people health. The atomic bomb thrown at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in japan by the US immediately after the end of world war 2 caused massive damage to local communities, and led to the infertility of millions of innocent unborn citizens.
Relevance of Arms control and Disarmament. With the end of Cold War there has generally been an increase in awareness of the importance of arms control and disarmament for global order (peace and security) and for strengthening cooperation and peaceful coexistence. In specific terms, the following among others, are relevant to AC&D.
Reduced Cost. Arms control and disarmament will definitely reduce the large proportion of national expenditure devoted to defense.
Reduced Tension and Danger of War. Arms control will reduce tension and fear to the barest minimum between two opposing nations. Arms control has been able to call into question the US, Russia, China, France, and the UK and their disarmament commitment to Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty(NPT).
Set Regional Initiative in Motion. There is an ongoing AC&D policy in almost all the regional and sub-regional organizations to complement the UN initiative but creation of a nuclear weapons free zone in the Middle East remains a chimera.
Effectively Control Delivery Technologies. Formerly, there was no regulation on the creation, acquisition, and dissemination of military delivery technologies in extension to SALWs. The Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC) against ballistic missile proliferation, signed on 25 November 2002 marked a significant advance. The attempt also extends to banning a cluster of munitions aided by international law. Though the process has been politicized to some extent, there is an improvement.
Reduction in Health Risks. The arms control policy has played a part in reducing health risks (radioactivity) carried out by nuclear testing.
Challenges for Arms Control and Disarmament.
Lack of Adequate Finance. Finance inadequacy has threatened the ability to operate. The amount of money available for the agency in charge of arms control is low compared to hundreds of billions of dollars spent yearly by states and organizations worldwide on armament or defense.
Domestic Barriers. It is difficult for the leadership to decide on arms issues domestically as some actors can wrestle with a decision to disfavor arms control. Other domestic barriers to arms control include national pride, economy, politics, and self-esteem. Hence, arms control is likely to suffer setbacks at the national front.
Power Display and Arrogance. The permanent five members of the UNSC _the P5 including US, UK Russia, France, and China have demonstrated some arrogance by threatening the imposition of a UN arms embargo from 1990-2006. Some of them publicly supplied arms and military support to the UN arms embargo target nations. Beyond this, the P5 has been listed among the World’s top arms producing nations, making the AC&D policy contentious.
Role of the Major Power. There needs to be a solution in deciding the players in arms control discussion. There has to be a willingness to cooperate, but the policies of the major powers usually need to be aligned. The exclusion of Germany, India, and Japan from a central place in arms discussions may undermine their credibility.
Recommendations. Following recommendations have been outlined based on this study’s findings.
Check Governance Failure. To cope with volatile conditions for the current generation and the future, it is necessary to continuously examine and update the laws governing the availability and distribution of arms. To ensure that the rule of law is upheld on a national and international level, it is important to close any substantial gaps between theory and enforcement(practice) that come from governance failure.
Cooperative Security. Establishing cooperative security, though a combination of unilateral and multilateral processes, including both legally and politically binding tools, can be more effective in pursing goals.
Major Powers’ Interaction. The likelihood of war can be reduced by structuring interactions between the major powers. In addition to their current broad commitment to peaceful conflict resolution, these states must strengthen their consultation processes, particularly in the regions and on the issues where their difference are most pronounced.
Increased Engagement. International Non-Governmental Organizations(INGOs), Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs), Non state Actors, Civil Societies, and Religious Bodies should be involved in awareness campaigns, information gathering, and in any way deemed fit to render their support for the success of disarmament and arms control program.
Conclusion. Achieving human security to end the conflicts and wars caused by excessive arms in circulation though arms control and disarmament is a great move. Undoubtedly, a nation that focuses on developmental projects without first addressing the proliferation of arms is only planting corn on the rock or among the thorn, which is only pseudo-progress. The study noted that arms control come into force to replace disarmament when the latter cannot be realized or promote the balance of power. It is crucial to reinstate disarmament and arms control as guiding concepts in international relations. The strategy has made the world safer to some extent although not completely safe because there is still an arms race among the powerful nations. On the note, states must augment arms control and disarmament with other policy measures to secure a safer world for humans.
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