House of Cards: Why Arms Control Must Fail

No scholar has made a more consistent critique of the very notion of arms control than Colin Gray. Nowhere does he elucidate his argument more comprehensively than in this work. Arms control, argues Gray, is doomed to failure. It is either impossible or unimportant. The conservative who seeks a more secure arms control regime is as wrong as the liberal who puts too much faith in the political benefits of weapons limitations. Gray states his case with a rich, multidimensional brief, and he draws on a number of historical precedents for support. He makes one think. But ultimately his views are unlikely to have wide appeal, especially with the end of the Soviet-American strategic arms race.