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Civil war and state support for conventional arms control

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  • Tobias Risse

Abstract

Conventional arms control imposes costs and benefits on states in civil wars: it restricts their own armament and that of rebel groups. I argue that the benefits outweigh the costs because states design conventional arms control measures that primarily curb rebels’ armament. I investigate these arguments through regression analyses of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voting records and a content analysis of UNGA speeches. While I find a positive relationship between civil wars and support for conventional arms control in the aggregate, I also show that states in civil wars consider both the benefits and the costs of arms control.

Suggested Citation

  • Tobias Risse, 2025. "Civil war and state support for conventional arms control," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 42(1), pages 11-31, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:compsc:v:42:y:2025:i:1:p:11-31
    DOI: 10.1177/07388942231223422
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    References listed on IDEAS

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