From nuclear non-proliferation to chemical weapons bans, arms control treaties have been humanity's most important diplomatic achievements — pulling the world back from the brink of catastrophic war. These agreements represent the highest stakes of international diplomacy, ranked by their lasting impact on global security.
The first arms control agreement between the US and USSR, signed by Nixon and Brezhnev during détente, froze the number of nuclear missiles both sides could deploy. SALT I was a landmark breakthrough in US-Soviet relations, proving that the superpowers could negotiate even at the height of Cold War tensions.
The NPT is the cornerstone of global nuclear disarmament, signed by 191 nations — the most widely adhered-to arms control treaty in history. It established three pillars: preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, pursuing disarmament, and enabling peaceful nuclear energy — and remains the bedrock of non-proliferation policy today.
The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions for any purpose — military or civilian — and established a global monitoring network of seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound, and radionuclide sensors to detect violations. While 186 countries have signed, it has never entered into force as key states including the US, China, and India have not ratified it.
Signed by Reagan and Gorbachev, the INF Treaty eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons — all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km. It was the first arms control agreement to actually reduce nuclear arsenals rather than merely cap them, and a turning point in ending the Cold War.
The TPNW is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons with the goal of total elimination. Adopted by 122 nations at the UN, it entered into force in 2021. While none of the nine nuclear-armed states have signed it, the treaty represents a powerful moral and normative statement against nuclear weapons.
Signed by the US, UK, and USSR just months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the PTBT banned nuclear tests in the atmosphere, underwater, and in space — ending the era of above-ground nuclear testing that was contaminating the global atmosphere with radioactive fallout. It was the first multilateral arms control treaty of the nuclear age.
The ABM Treaty prohibited the US and USSR from deploying nationwide missile defense systems, based on the theory that mutual vulnerability ensures mutual deterrence (MAD). It remained a cornerstone of strategic stability for 30 years until the US withdrew in 2002 — a withdrawal that still shapes missile defense debates today.
The latest major US-Russia nuclear arms reduction treaty, New START limits each country to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and 700 deployed delivery systems. Signed by Obama and Medvedev, it was the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the two largest nuclear powers — its future has been uncertain since Russia suspended participation in 2023.
The CWC banned the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and required the destruction of all existing stockpiles. With 193 signatory states, it is one of the most successful disarmament treaties ever negotiated, overseeing the verified destruction of over 70,000 tonnes of declared chemical weapons.
Signed in the final years of the Cold War by Bush and Gorbachev, START I was the first treaty to actually require both superpowers to reduce (not just limit) their nuclear arsenals. It cut deployed strategic nuclear warheads from around 12,000 each to 6,000 — the single largest nuclear reduction in history at the time.
The Ottawa Treaty banned the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines — one of the most devastating weapons against civilian populations. Championed by Princess Diana and NGO campaigners, it was signed by 164 nations and led to the destruction of over 55 million stockpiled landmines.
The first multilateral treaty to ban an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, the BWC prohibited the development, production, and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons. Signed during the height of the Cold War, it represented a rare moment of US-Soviet cooperation on arms control.
“Strategic Arms Limitation Talks — SALT I (1972)”
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