Disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control

National and international laws regarding arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation offer several important contributions to international security and basic protections for all persons and societies. As a broad matter of human security, these limits and prohibitions on weapons can reduce the harmful effects of war overall and can help to direct societal resources toward other objectives by reducing spending on armaments. More specifically, arms control and disarmament play significant roles in both conflict prevention and collective security. This chapter begins by introducing the international treaty law on disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms transfers and trade, detailing the robust framework of international and multilateral efforts to prevent conflict and reduce escalation by controlling the spread of weapons. It then turns to the role of the United Nations in the regulation of armaments, particularly the actions of the UN Security Council to enforce these legal frameworks and to take coercive collective action to maintain international peace and security through arms embargoes and other measures in the disarmament and arms control space. The final section looks to the future, exploring the possibilities for and challenges of arms control and disarmament in cyberspace and outer space.