| "Emily
O. Goldman presents an interesting and stimulating interpretation
of the interwar naval conferences. . . . Goldman's effort is an important
interpretive contribution that adds much to the ever-growing debate
on the Washington Conference." —Journal of American History
"Sunken Treaties makes an important contribution to the study of
arms control. Unlike many examinations of arms control that narrowly
focus on weaponry and their characteristics, this study puts arms
control within a broader international political framework. Goldman
analyzes a complex attempt at multilateral arms control that sought
to limit a variety of nonnuclear weapons technologies. This perspective
on arms control—multilateral and nonnuclear—is of great
importance for understanding better the dynamics of the post-Cold
War international security environment. By providing a broader perspective, Sunken Treaties helps enhance the theory of arms control,
providing guidelines for evaluating when it might be effective and
when it is likely to fail."—John H. Maurer, U.S. Naval War
College
In this analysis of naval arms control between the two world wars,
Emily Goldman dissects the underlying assumptions of arms control
theory that have guided theorizing and practice for the past thirty
years. She concludes that because there has been a near-exclusive
focus on the behavior of the superpowers and on the consequences
of nuclear technology, the arms control process has been artificially
constrained in its scope and potential. Returning to the most important
historical precedent of arms control prior to the Cold War, Goldman
demonstrates that there are two distinct strategies of arms control,
one that integrates force limitation with political conflict resolution
and one that confines itself to technical limitations exclusively.
Goldman's is the first analytical treatment of the interwar period
that examines arms control in both its technical and conflict-resolution
dimensions in tandem and traces them through the entire life of
the arms control system. By debunking Cold War orthodoxy about arms
control and by illuminating how arms control functioned between
the wars, Goldman shows how the process of arms control can transcend
the narrow goal of regulating the military balance and become a
constructive tool for restructuring power relationships. |
