The Future Role of Arms Control for European Security: From Arms Control to Force Control

Abstract

Security means the relative absence of threat. Efforts to enhance European security therefore must primarily aim at reducing the danger of war or any other armed conflict. Security rests on political and military stability. European security is served best when both political and military stability are high. Political stability may decrease or increase in short cycles; the maintenance of military stability therefore becomes a crucial issue for European security. The Vienna mandate brought the issue of arms control back into the comprehensive framework of European security policies. The essential features of arms control are recognition of the common interest, of the possibility of reciprocity and cooperation even between potential enemies, and of the potential for enhancement of international security. Preventing the outbreak of war and limiting the scope and violence of war both contribute directly to international security. The bilateral/bipolar structure of European security was not only one dimensional, but was also confrontational.