An arms race is essentially a rapid increase in the development or acquisition of weapons or military capabilities by a group of two or more countries or groups, in the pursuit of a perceived strategic advantage over the others. This typically involves an iterative process of escalation, involving mutual exchanges of arms, equipment, technology, and doctrine, with the intention of outmatching rival “opponents” in terms of defensive and/or offensive capabilities. These arms races often leave the protagonists with huge economic and social costs due to spending large sums of money to produce arms, as well as the political risk of instability through destabilizing the balance of power or trading partners.

See also: mutually assured destruction, nuclear weapon, race to the bottom, conflict theory, decision making