Security as the basis of treaty stability

Could an equitable naval treaty have guaranteed peace?

No treaty guarantees peace, but one is more durable when participants feel secure rather than permanently weakened.

Making every fleet weaker does not guarantee peace. Complete disarmament would have to be universal and credible. Otherwise, each state needs enough strength to believe it can defend itself. The United States and United Kingdom illustrate why those secure levels cannot be numerically identical. Durable ratios depend on political security rather than equal weakness.