World's arms-control efforts since '50s

1957: The International Atomic Energy Agency was set up to monitor the proliferation of nuclear technology, including nuclear weapons.

1968: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed to prevent further spread of nuclear weapons technology to countries outside the five that possessed them: The United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France and China.

1972: The SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) between the United States and Soviet Union led to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which sets limits on the anti-ballistic missile systems used in defending areas against missile-delivered nuclear weapons. It was in effect for the next 30 years until the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2002.

1972-79: The SALT II talks started in 1972 leading to an agreement in 1979. Due to the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan, the US never ratified the treaty. However, the agreement was honored by both sides.

1987: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed between the US and the USSR in 1987 and ratified in 1988, leading to an agreement to destroy all missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500 km.

1991: START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), a treaty between the US and the USSR on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, was signed. The treaty barred its signatories from deploying more than 6,000 nuclear warheads atop a total of 1,600 ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and bombers. Its final implementation in late 2001 resulted in the removal of about 80 percent of all strategic nuclear weapons in existence.

1993: START II, signed by the US and Russia, banned the use of a warhead called a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle on ICBMs.

START II followed START I and, although ratified, the treaty has never entered into force. On June 14, 2002, one day after the US withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, Russia withdrew from START II.

1993: The Chemical Weapons Convention was signed, banning the manufacture and use of chemical weapons.

1996: The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was signed in 1996 banning all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes.

2002: The Treaty Between the US and Russia on Strategic Offensive Reductions (SORT), better known as the Moscow Treaty, was signed. Both parties agreed to limit their nuclear arsenals to 1,700-2,200 operationally deployed warheads each.

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