The World Disarmament Conference debate turned on whether particular weapons were offensive or defensive. Britain could describe cruisers as defensive tools for protecting global maritime communications, while Germany could see the same ships as instruments of blockade. Even a fixed fortification was not automatically defensive if its long-range guns could strike across a frontier or sea channel. The label therefore depended on geography, mission, and the strategic position of the state judging the weapon. This ambiguity made broad arms-control categories harder to negotiate than a list of ship types and tonnage limits.
Notable Point · 29:40-31:20
Why weapons resist offensive and defensive labels
A cruiser or fortress can defend one state's strategy while enabling pressure against another, making simple disarmament categories politically unstable.