Why durable naval treaties must be equitable

Would a fairer treaty system have solved many interwar fleet problems?

It would have helped because an equitable treaty gives each state continuing reasons to comply.

An equitable treaty does not satisfy every demand, but it supplies durable incentives for all signatories. The standard is not whether each state receives everything it requested, but whether each receives enough benefit to keep observing the limits. Because sovereign states ultimately choose whether to comply, coercive wording cannot substitute for continuing self-interest. A settlement that parties merely tolerate is therefore less stable than one they see as mutually useful across changes of government.