Product Description

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #997446 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.48 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 424 pages

From Booklist
This latest addition to the Historical Dictionaries of War, Revolution, and Civil Unrest series contains more than 1,000 key terms related to arms control and disarmament, including conferences, treaties, significant people, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and weaponry. Each entry contains a brief description of the term, and most have cross-references.

Although the words arms control and disarmament are more modern terms, their underlying principles have been in use for centuries. An extensive chronology begins with 1100 B.C.E., the Israelite-Philistine Term of Peace (which limited Israel's use of iron), and ends with June 7-12, 2004, the first Russian Open Skies overflight of the U.S. A time line from 1945 through 2004 shows significant arms control and disarmament events and categorizes them as chemical/biological, conventional, testing, strategic, or other.

A long bibliography (approximately 100 pages) is organized by topic and also includes sections on journals and Web sites. Another helpful section of the volume is a list of acronyms and abbreviations. The introduction provides a good overview of arms control and disarmament throughout history and presents a case for continued relevance in today's world.

The authors, former U.S. Air Force pilots who have flown some of the weapons included in this dictionary, are very knowledgeable on this topic. One is senior editor of the U.S. Air Force's internal study of its air campaign in the war against terrorism, and the other is director of the U.S. Air Force Institute for National Security Studies at the Air Force Academy. Their intent was to produce a "useful desk reference for the policy practitioner" and "a useful reference tool for the researcher and student." As much of the formal literature in this field is technical, the authors have translated the terms into language understandable by the lay reader. This would be a good purchase for an academic or public library. kaye talley
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Review
The introduction provides a good overview of arms control and disarmament throughout history and presents a case for continued relevance in today's world....As much of the formal literature in this field is technical, the authors have translated the terms into language understandable by the lay reader. This would be a good purchase for an academic or public library. (Booklist 20050901)

While the subject of this dictionary is a specialized one, its importance cannot be denied, for, as the authors point out, the existence of effective arms control treaties helped to preserve the world from catastrophe during the Cold War period to which the majority of the articles in the book refer...The Dictionary would indeed by a useful resource for the instruction both of aspiring politicians and of general readers and students who wish to inform themselves on a subject still vital to the future of the world. (Reference Reviews )

This work is a valuable introduction to those desirous of learning more about arms control and disarmament in international diplomacy and security policy....highly recommended for academic libraries. (American Reference Books Annual )

Larsen and Smith’s dictionary chronicles key terms, personalities, events and agreements in the history of arms control and disarmament, and includes both traditional and nontraditional approaches. In addition to the 1,000-plus dictionary entries, the text features a chronological timeline from 1100 B.C. to 2004, a brief introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography, organized thematically into sections on history and negotiations, institutions, regional perspectives, war prevention, reducing the consequences of war, reducing the costs of war preparation, journals and internet websites. For policy practitioners, researchers, and students. (Reference and Research Book News )

Specialists, policy makers, and interested general readers alike will be forever grateful to the authors for making the otherwise arcane world of arms control accessible to all. Larsen and Smith, both former Air Force pilots and military academy professors, have distinguished themselves as leading arms control experts and have published extensively. In addition to more than 1,000 entries, this historical dictionary features a short essay on the history of arms control, an 8-page list of acronyms and abbreviations, a 36-page chronology, and a bibliography of more than 100 pages. The entries range in length from one sentence to short essays of several paragraphs, with most being a single paragraph. Indeed, in their effort to be comprehensive, the authors have included some entries with little or no apparent relationship to arms control; experts might quibble about other minor details. But there is no denying the value of this impressive compilation. The text is straightforward, understandable, and extensively cross-referenced; no other recent book is like it. This work deserves a place on the shelves of college and university libraries, public libraries, and collections specializing in international security affairs, and on the desks of arms control specialists. Highly recommended. All levels. (Choice )

About the Author
Jeffrey A. Larsen is a senior policy analyst in the Strategies Group of Science Applications Corporation and president of Larsen Consulting Group, both in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He has served as senior editor of the U.S. Air Force's internal study of its air campaign in the war against terrorism. He is the author of Arms Control: Cooperative Security in a Changing Environment. He is a former U.S. Air Force pilot and associate professor of political science at the Air Force Academy.

James M. Smith is the director of the U.S. Air Force Institute for National Security Studies at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. He is also a professor on the Academy's faculty and a representative to the USAF Chief of Staff's special study on Developing Aerospace Leaders. He is the author of Milestones in Air Force Arms Control History. He is a former U.S. Air Force pilot and associate dean for Academic Research at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.