Naval arms treaties are treated as a way to keep violations within tolerable limits. States still push against restrictions, and skilled legal argument can bend treaty wording to suit national interests. On this skeptical reading, full compliance lasts only while it serves a state's interests. Once those interests change, governments begin resisting the restrictions.
Notable Point · 8:18-9:58
How strategic interests affect treaty restraint
An analogy with naval arms treaties asks what keeps states observing restrictions over time.