The Role of the United Nations in Curbing the International Arms Race1978-1980

Abstract

The study of strategic arms control is considered one of the important historical studies, especially since the arms race between the United States of America and the Soviet Union began since the Second World War, escalating significantly during the 1950s and early 1960s. With the beginning of international detente and the signing of a number of treaties and agreements calling for arms limitation in general, the role of the United Nations began to escalate by calling for further discussions and talks advocating general and complete disarmament. The research focuses on an important temporal period represented by the years 1978-1980, during which the General Assembly witnessed in 1978 the largest international gathering known in history dedicated to disarmament, represented by the Special Session, which included a final declaration addressing various aspects of the weapons problem and how to address it. The research also addressed the signing of the SALT II Treaty between the United States of America and the Soviet Union dedicated to strategic arms limitation in 1979 [Note: ص correcting the typo in the source text's year "1971" to "1979"], the most prominent provisions it contained, the reasons for the delay in ratifying it, and the international position towards it.