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Unit 11Arms Control in Europe
All chapters
  1. 1. Introduction and basic concepts
  2. 2. History of arms control in Europe
  3. 3. Major instruments of European conventional arms control
  4. 4. Nuclear weapons and arms control in Europe
  5. 5. The role of the European Union
  6. 6. The future of European arms control
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A close-up black and white photograph of multiple modern firearms stacked together, showing detailed views of barrels, rail systems, grips, and various attachments.

Above: Confiscated modern rifles

PRESSLAB / Shutterstock https://www.shutterstock.com/de/image-photo/details-many-confiscated-modern-rifles-supplied-420516208

Arms Control in Europe

This learning unit will present the history of the development of the European arms control architecture, outline its main components and discuss its gradual unravelling, addressing conventional and nuclear dimensions. It will also examine the role of the European Union. Lastly, it will discuss the factors which may lead to a return of arms control.

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Chapters

  1. 1. Introduction and basic concepts

  2. 2. History of arms control in Europe

  3. 3. Major instruments of European conventional arms control

  4. 4. Nuclear weapons and arms control in Europe

  5. 5. The role of the European Union

  6. 6. The future of European arms control

Learning Objectives

After completing this learning unit, the students will:

  • understand the origins, history and the current state of conventional arms control in Europe;
  • be able to describe the purpose and functioning of the CFE Treaty, Open Skies Treaty and the Vienna Document;
  • learn the difference between strategic and non-strategic nuclear weapons (NSNW);
  • understand NATO nuclear sharing and Russia’s approach to NSNW;
  • be familiar with the challenges of bringing NSNW under an arms control/confidence-building framework;
  • understand the role played the EU and other organisations in the European arms control system;
  • grasp the main challenges to arms control in Europe, including the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine, as well as conditions for a potential return to European arms control.

Credits

  • Łukasz Kulesa profile image

    Łukasz Kulesa

    Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

    Łukasz Kulesa is Director of Proliferation and Nuclear Policy at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). His research interests include nuclear and conventional deterrence, arms control, Euro-Atlantic security, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the transatlantic security relationship.

    Prior to joining RUSI, Łukasz was Deputy Head of Research Office at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (Warsaw). He also worked as Research Director at the European Leadership Network (ELN). He holds a master’s degree in international relations and European studies from the Central European University and is a graduate of the law department of the Jagiellonian University.

  • Linde Desmaele profile image

    Linde Desmaele

    Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

    Linde Desmaele is an Assistant Professor of Intelligence and Security at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) at Leiden University. She is also a Senior Associate Researcher at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) at the Brussels School of Governance. Linde’s work is situated at the intersection of international relations and security studies, with a focus on nuclear politics, US alliances and European security. Before joining Leiden University, she held fellowships at MIT and Columbia University. She holds a PhD from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where her dissertation earned her the 2022 Global Strategy PhD Prize.

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Disclosures

Content Warning

This learning unit may contain audio-visual material or texts, which may not be suitable for all audiences.

Funding

This Learning Unit was produced with financial assistance from the European Union. The contents of this Learning Unit are however the sole responsibility of the author(s) and should under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

External Links

The site may contain hyperlink text references (’Links’) to other sites that are offered by third parties. These Links are made available solely for the purpose of information and as an additional service for users. Only the respective operator is responsible for all content and statements on linked Internet sites. Therefore, PRIF cannot guarantee the correctness and accuracy or any other aspect of third party sites.

Preferred Citation

Łukasz Kulesa and Linde Desmaele, "Arms Control in Europe" in EUNPDC eLearning, ed. Niklas Schörnig, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. Available at https://eunpdc-elearning.netlify.app/lu-11/, last modified 22 May 2025

Editorial Note

This is a beta version of the learning unit, which is regularly optimised. Please report any factual errors or discrepancies to the publisher. (support(at)nonproliferation-elearning.eu). Please note that although the original text was written by the authors, the video production and simplifications were carried out by PRIF.

The EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course aims to cover all aspects of the EU non-proliferation and disarmament agenda. It's produced by PRIF with financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of individual learning units are the sole responsibility of the respective authors and don't necessariy reflect the position of the European Union.