ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the basic elements of arms control. It briefly outlines that in an uncertain Europe, the Western part of the continent appears extremely stable whilst Central, Eastern and Southern Europe is experiencing greater instability than it has for at least the last fifty years. The chapter also examines some of the distinctions between arms control and confidence building and the political and technical functions of verification. The 'theoretical lens' are the ideas of 'epistemic communities' and 'policy-networks' which gained currency during the mid-nineteen nineties in other areas of international relations. The chapter explores the main tenets of these theoretical concepts and also outlines their relationship to conventional arms control in Europe. The inadequate development of satisfactory verification measures was often cited as the cause for the stumbling of negotiations during the Cold War, although on occasions it was also the excuse for the lack of progress too.
