This Research Handbook provides a broad yet detailed treatment of international arms control law. It takes stock of existing arms control agreements, addresses current challenges and aims to indicate avenues for the future development of this distinct branch of public international law.

A unique and indispensible work that serves both as a basic introduction to the disarmament scene and a reference book for experts' - "Disarmament Times " The revised and updated edition of Arms Control: The New Guide to Negotiations and Agreements contains the most authoritative and comprehensive survey ever published of the documents related to arms control.

This book is about the role of international law in the arms control process. It discusses the law of arms control as a special branch of international law and covers the following topics: the place of the law of arms control in the system of international law and politics, special characteristics of arms control law, the international legal framework of supervision in the law of arms control, general features of supervisory mechanisms in all multilateral arms control treaties currently in force, case studies on the CWC, IAEA safeguards system and CTBT, and enforcement of the law of arms control. As such, this study provides a comprehensive theory and model for the analysis of supervisory mechanisms in arms control treaties and offers an in-depth overview of the law of arms control as it stands in the post Cold War situation. The book will be of interest to international lawyers as well as political scientists and policy-makers.

Originally published in 1982, this is the most comprehensive handbook on arms control ever published. It contains an analysis of the bilateral and multilateral agreements reached since World War II. An assessment is made of the extent to which each agreement has affected the arms race, reduced the likelihood of war or otherwise contributed to the overall goal of disarmament. Ongoing arms control negotiations are also analyzed. The complex problem of verification of compliance with arms control obligations is critically examined, and the shortcomings of the existing arrangements are pointed out. The critique is searching, objective and free of the usual biases of official government reports. The analysis of the arms control agreements is preceded by an historical overview, beginning with the Hague Peace Conferences, held at the turn of this century, through the League of Nations' attempts to bring about a universal reduction of armaments, to the activities of the United Nations in the field of arms regulation and general disarmament. The present arms control negotiating machinery is described. The texts of the relevant documents are reproduced for handy reference and the status of the implementation of the most important multilateral arms control agreements is presented in tabular form. Tables and figures facilitate the reading.

2. The use of nuclear weapons as a potential war crime

Shortlisted for the 2008 Young Authors Inner Temple Book Prize There are believed to be about 700 million small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the world, often contributing to highly destabilising security and other concerns in international law. SALW are the primary source of violations and abuses of humanitarian and human rights principles by states, rebels, terrorists and criminals. Many consider them the real weapons of mass destruction of our time, causing about half a million deaths annually. The unrestricted international transfer of SALW by states (99 states and 1000 companies involved in manufacturing and supply) is one of the major contributory and aggravating factors of this crisis; another is the illicit traffic in small arms. This book deals with the proliferation of SALW and their unregulated trade and transfer across borders. It addresses questions of definition, manufacturing, trade/transfer, and issues relating to state responsibility. The primary focus is on conventional small arms, in particular military-style weapons. The book tackles the core and most divisive legal problem of whether or not the laws relating to arms control and relevant norms of international law provide substantive restrictions upon the transfer of small arms by states. The application of the norms of international peace and security, non-intervention, humanitarian and human rights laws, and evolved relevant customary rules of arms control relating to these norms are considered particularly carefully. Questions of application and enforcement of relevant rules and institutional responses to the problem are also examined. The UN began considering an arms trade treaty in 2006; the publication of the book at this critical moment in time will make a positive contribution towards shaping the debate and aims to further enhance understanding in an area where close analysis is required.