Historical Dictionary of Arms Control and Disarmament

by Jeffrey A. Larsen, James M. Smith

Historical Dictionary of Arms Control and Disarmament provides a historical review of key themes and issues in international security and arms control, focusing on efforts in the 20th century to control the spread and use of armaments and to prevent war. This book summarizes the rich and proud traditions of arms control and disarmament, their critical role in ensuring a non-catastrophic course throughout history (especially the dangerous period of the Cold War), and their continuing relevance and role in the emerging post-Cold War world. It also seeks to reinforce a broad perspective of key terms in order to capture the scope and range of their application yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Given this combined tradition and focus, this Dictionary serves two purposes. As a historical dictionary, it chronicles key terms, personalities, events, and agreements as a ready reference from which to launch a more extensive investigation. But it also seeks to capture the breadth of current and future applications by presenting the vocabulary of traditional and non-traditional approaches. The book includes a large dictionary of more than 1,000 key terms, as well as a comprehensive bibliography divided into multiple categories, an extensive chronology, and a timeline.

This book can also serve as a useful desk reference for the policy practitioner. The pace and intensity of the practice of arms control often eliminates the luxury of conventional study of past or related arms control efforts. The dictionary seeks to provide a relevant sampling of treaty and agreement details and of the specific terms of reference of arms control to allow productive progress in a policy work environment.

Researchers and students will also find the dictionary to be a useful reference tool. Much of the formal literature in the field, such as treaty texts and policy pronouncements, is written in technical language without elaboration. Also, many references to agreements are posed in shorthand intended only for the policy practi

424 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 2005

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was certainly expensive... but it is beyond worthwhile to make the investment in purchasing it. This is the GOLD STANDARD in reference texts for arms control and disarmament. This book has complete timelines of all dates (including day and year) for all arms control and disarmament efforts (beginning in 1100 B.C. with the Israeli-Philistine Term of Peace and going through the 2004 Russian Open Skies overflight of the United States), along with detailed explanations of histories behind the agreements, definitions of terms/people/agents/weapons/treaties/protocols/etc., and everything you could want, need, or imagine in a reference source on arms control. Basically, this book is the complete dictionary AND encyclopedia on arms control... and the attention to detail by the authors is shown in the thorough accuracy of the authors' work.

Buy it. Now.