Traditional security and disarmament

The essentials

In the traditional view, security means protecting a state's core values (sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity) mainly from military threats. A government facing war has three basic choices: to surrender, to prevent the other side from attacking by threatening unacceptable costs (deterrence), or to defend itself and limit the damage if war comes (defence). States also maintain a balance of power and form alliances with other states to strengthen their position.

Traditional security also recognises that states can cooperate to limit violence. Two main ways are disarmament, which requires states to give up certain kinds of weapons, and arms control, which regulates the acquisition or development of weapons.

Key points

• The Biological Weapons Convention (1972) and the Chemical Weapons Convention ban the making and possession of these weapons by member states; these are examples of disarmament.
• The Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty (1972) between the USA and the USSR limited the use of missile defence systems, as an arms control measure.
• The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I and SALT II) and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) were also arms control agreements between the two superpowers.
• The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968 permits only the states that had tested nuclear weapons before 1 January 1967 to keep them, and asks others not to acquire them.
• Confidence building means states share information about their military plans and intentions to avoid misunderstanding.
• India did not sign the NPT, considering it discriminatory because it divides states into those allowed and those not allowed to hold nuclear weapons. India conducted nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998 and has declared a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons.

Common mistakes

• Treating arms control and disarmament as the same. Disarmament removes a type of weapon; arms control regulates or limits it.
• Confusing deterrence (preventing war) with defence (limiting damage once war begins).