SUMARIO: Introduction - World military expenditure - World production of conventional armaments - World-wide trade in major weapons during the 1970s - Eurostrategic weapons - A role for satellites in verification of arms control agreements - SALT II: an analysis of the agreements - Verification of the SALT II treaty - The non-proliferation treaty - Negative security assurances - Nuclear explosions - Chemical disarmament - The prohibition of radiological warfare - The prohibition of inhumane and indiscriminate weapons - A comprehensive programme of disarmament - Confidence-building measures in Europe - Disarmament at the 1979 UN general assembly session - The implementation of multilateral arms control agreements - Bilateral US-Soviet arms control agreements - United Nations peace-keeping operations in the 1970s - Chronology of major events concerning disarmament issues