The Crises Testing Arms Control
The arms control system built during and after the Cold War is under enormous stress and is fraying at the edges. It once enabled significant improvements in international security but is in danger of not withstanding the resurgence of tensions in recent years. Urgent action is now needed to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, as well as cluster bombs and anti-personnel mines.
The events of recent years have opened a pause for reflection on the role that arms control has played in the wider effort of international, collective security over the last 80 years.
In the context of Russia’s brutal land-grab war against Ukraine since 2022 and yet another horrendous conflict in the Middle East, the shocking United States (US) pull-back from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United Nations (UN), including the proposals of invading Greenland and Canada, has increased an already high sense of insecurity and fears of conflict escalation throughout the world.
In January 2026, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock was moved forward by 4 seconds to 85 seconds before midnight. An indication of global risks in terms of nuclear war, climate change and other global threats, including pandemics. The ticking Doomsday Clock also reflects the reduced restraints in arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament agreements. [...]
Article Outline
- The Response
- The Importance of Arms Control
- The Humanitarian Strand
- The International Security Strand
- Added Benefits of Arms Control Allies
- The Risks of Further Proliferation
- The Rupture
- The Reframe
Patricia M. Lewis has served as Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and as a Research Fellow at Chatham House.
Article published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 91, No. 2, 2026.
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The Crises Testing Arms Control
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War and Technology: An Approaching Military Revolution?
Historically, technological change has altered how battles are fought but has not overturned the fundamental principles of war. However, three considerations may now represent an actual revolution: the recourse to tactical nuclear weapons, the development of software for “multi-domain operations,” and the prospect of general artificial intelligence. The organization of militaries and the use of force need to be rethought in this light.
War and Technology: An Approaching Military Revolution?
Historically, technological change has altered how battles are fought but has not overturned the fundamental principles of war. However, three considerations may now represent an actual revolution: the recourse to tactical nuclear weapons, the development of software for “multi-domain operations,” and the prospect of general artificial intelligence. The organization of militaries and the use of force need to be rethought in this light.
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