DISARMAMENT
1. Problem of Disarmament
The core problem of disarmament stems from the existence, transfer, and expenditure on
conventional and mass destruction weapons, alongside the inherent difficulties in achieving
full international consensus and control.
● Unregulated Arms Trade: The lack of control over the international trade in arms is a
contributing factor to continued armed conflicts, poverty, and human rights
violations. A global, internationally binding agreement was recommended to prohibit the
transfer of weapons to areas where they would likely be used for serious violations of
human rights.
● Widespread Human Suffering: The irresponsible transfer of conventional arms is a
major cause of widespread human suffering.
● Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD): WMDs (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, and their
delivery systems) are non-conventional weapons that cause massive, uncontrolled, and
indiscriminate loss of life and major destruction. The proliferation of WMD delivery
systems is a serious concern, especially the risk of them falling into the hands of terrorist
groups.
● High Global Military Expenditure:
○ Global military expenditure in 2014 was an estimated US$1.776 billion (2.3% of
global GDP).
○ This is equivalent to approximately US$4.7 billion per day or $234 per person
yearly (as of July 2015).
○ The world's exorbitant military expenditure is considered out of proportion to
countries' real needs for military forces. The UN Secretary-General noted that global
daily military expenditure is almost twice as much as the UN budget for a whole
year.
2. UN Regulation of Armaments: Provisions of UN Charter
The UN Charter contains foundational principles that relate to, but do not explicitly ban,
specific weapons, making them the framework within which disarmament is pursued.
● Prohibition on the Threat or Use of Force (Article 2(4)): States shall "Refrain in their
international relations from threatening or using force against the territorial integrity or
political independence of any state, or in any any other manner inconsistent with the
purposes of the United Nations". The ICJ noted that this applies to any use of force,
regardless of the type of weapons employed.
● Right to Self-Defence (Article 51): The Charter recognizes the inherent right to
individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs. This right, however, is
not unlimited, and principles of proportionality and excluding the targeting of civilians
must be respected.
● Security Council's Authority (Chapter VII, Article 41): The UN Security Council can
adopt measures to give effect to its decisions, which may include trade sanctions or
embargoes of arms exports (complete or partial interruption of economic relations).
3. Notable Treaties in the Field of Disarmament
Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
● Objective: To establish the highest possible common international standards for
regulating the international trade in conventional arms, and to prevent and eradicate
the illegal trade in conventional arms and prevent their diversion.
● Adoption: Adopted by the UN General Assembly on April 2, 2013, with an overwhelming
majority of 154 votes in favour, 3 against (Iran, North Korea, Syria), and 23
abstentions (including China, Russia, India). It entered into force in December 2014.
● Prohibitions (Article 6): Arms transfers are prohibited when they would violate UN
Security Council arms embargoes, other international agreements, or when a state
knows the arms would be used in acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, grave
breaches of the Geneva Conventions, or other war crimes.
● Scope (Article 2): Applies to battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre
artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and
missile launchers, and small arms and light weapons. The inclusion of small arms
and light weapons is a positive element, as they are the largest category of conventional
weapons traded illegally.
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
● Scope: A comprehensive and detailed agreement that is a total ban on chemical
weapons.
● Prohibitions (Article 1): States parties undertake never, under any circumstances, to
develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, or retain chemical weapons, or to
transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to anyone. They must also destroy
their chemical weapons and production facilities.
● Status: As of January 2016, the CWC had been ratified by 192 countries, representing
98% of the world's population and chemical industry.
● Non-Parties: Israel has signed but not ratified; Egypt, North Korea, and South Sudan
have neither signed nor adhered to it.
● Destruction Progress: Approximately 60,000 tonnes (90%) of the world's declared
stockpile of 65,800 tonnes of chemical agent have been verifiably destroyed.
Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)
● Significance: The first category of weapons to be totally prohibited.
● Prohibitions (Article 1): Prohibits states from developing, producing, stockpiling,
acquiring, or retaining microbial or other biological agents or toxins of types and in
quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective, or other peaceful
purposes.
Status: By January 2016, the BWC had 173 states parties.
● Weakness: A major weakness is that it does not contain any provisions on verifying
compliance with the total ban.
4. Arms Race and Superpower (Nuclear Arsenals)
The nuclear arms race, primarily between the US and Russia, has historically driven global
disarmament efforts, though modernization continues even as overall numbers decline.
● Global Total: As of January 2015, there was an estimated total of approximately 15,850
nuclear weapons in the world
● Dominance of the US and Russia: The United States and Russia maintain 14,760 (93%)
of the total nuclear weapons in their arsenals.
● Historical Peak: The two former superpowers possessed a total of an estimated 64,500
nuclear weapons in 1986. Since 1991, 80% of their nuclear weapons have been
eliminated.
● SIPRI Estimates (January 2015):
| State | Deployed Warheads* | Other Warheads† | Total |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| United States | 2,080 | 5,180 | 7,260 36 |
| Russia | 1,780 | 5,720 | 7,500 37 |
| United Kingdom | 150 | 65 | 215 38 |
| France | 290 | 10 | 300 39 |
| China | - | 260 | 260 40 |
| India | - | 90-110 | 90-110 41 |
| Pakistan | - | 100-120 | 100-120 42 |
| Israel | - | 80 | 80 43 |
| North Korea | - | 6-8 | 6-8 44 |
| Total | 4,300 | 11,550 | 15,850 45 |
*Note: All nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-armed states are modernizing
their nuclear forces and are determined to retain sizeable nuclear arsenals for
the foreseeable future
5. Main Features of CTBT and Indian Position 🇮🇳
Main Features of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
● Purpose: To prevent non-nuclear-weapon states from developing nuclear weapons by
conducting nuclear weapons tests, and to prevent the nuclear-weapon states from
developing new types of nuclear weapons.
● Basic Obligation (Article I): Each state party undertakes not to carry out any nuclear
weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion, and to prohibit and prevent
any such nuclear explosion at any place under its jurisdiction or control.
Verification: The treaty establishes the CTBTO (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Organization) and a verification regime designed to detect any nuclear explosion
conducted on Earth. This includes the International Monitoring System (IMS) with 321
monitoring stations and 16 laboratories worldwide.
● Entry into Force (Article 14): The treaty will only enter into force 180 days after all 44
states listed in Annex 2 (those with nuclear power or research reactors) have ratified it.
● Status (as of November 2015):
○ 183 states had signed and 164 states had ratified
○ The eight countries whose ratification is required for entry into force, but who
had not yet ratified, are: China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan,
and the United States
Indian Position on the CTBT
India is one of the countries whose ratification is required for the CTBT to enter into force but
has not done so.
● Against Adoption: India was one of the 3 countries to vote against the resolution for
the adoption of the treaty by the General Assembly in 1996.
● No-First-Use Policy: India declared a no-first-use policy in 1998, which it modified in
2010 to only apply to non-nuclear-weapon states.
● Voting on UN Resolutions: India has consistently abstained from voting on resolutions
like the one calling upon states to sign and ratify the CTBT. However, India voted in
favour of General Assembly resolutions that called for the commencement of
negotiations for a comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons to prohibit their
possession and provide for their destruction (e.g., resolution 70/34 in 2015).