ABSTRACT
Two rival superpowers — the U.S. and the USSR — engaged in a dangerous nuclear arms race until the fall of the USSR. Bilateral and multilateral treaties kept the two superpowers from engaging in an unwinnable war. After the fall of the USSR, the role of treaties diminished. As discussed in Chapter 2, the rivalry between the USSR and the U.S. escalated the development of WMD technology, which proved to be expensive for both parties. In many cases, it was easier and less expensive for other states to play the superpowers against each other in order to get what they wanted, rather than investing directly in WMD technology. Today the political landscape has changed, and the forces that favor the proliferation of WMDs have gained strength.
