Essay On Arms Race

Ever since the end of World War II there has been a worldwide arms race that is and will truly be never ending. This race has affected more than just countries’ militaries, but their economies and foreign relations also. Military spending has increased drastically in almost every country since the start. Numerous amounts of treaties and pacts have been created in order to try and limit conflict. The current arms race typically involves nuclear weapons and much more advanced military technology. This is a big problem because countries themselves are trying to become the most dominant powerhouse but all that has done is create more weapons and force more countries to join the race. I am going to assess exactly how the arms race has affected countries

An example of this is during the cold war a large amount of treaties were created such as the SALT I treaty and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The cold war was primarily a defense of democracy and keeping communism from spreading. This is a very good example on how alliances can form. Countries that are standing for the same point will typically feel the pressure to team up and become stronger. This is a way to help ensure safety and help build strength. Many of the alliances that are currently in formation today are based off of what happened during the largest arms race in history. Western nations such as the United States, Great Britain, and France formed alliances. Arms races have begun to shape some countries policies and how they go about foreign relations. The United States was a rival to communist countries which was heightened due to an arms race. NATO was one of the largest building blocks for current international relations. Ever since the organization began in 1949 more and more countries have joined the western nations. The point of this organization was to create a military alliance against any attack from an outside and usually communist country. Most of these alliances are still formed today after over 60 years. Though out an arms race countries will do their best to keep and hold alliances because of the threat of military attack. This strongly affects international relations because it can change who you trade and who you are allies with. On top of this it strongly changes countries spending policies