Bringing the subject of arms control into the arena of complex, multi-polar international relations, this text traces the history of agreements over weapons back to ancient times. The author puts forward a typology of arms control: it occurs at the end of major conflicts, stabilizes balances between states, develops norms of behaviour, manages weapons proliferation, and acts as a tool of international organizations. He examines the evolution of five qualitatively different strategies, and applies the arms control typology to agreements in the post-Cold War world.