lntensiLy varies markedly betrreen regions, few countries and no major reqion have s tayed out of it. 2. The conpetition in armaments between the largest nilitary Powers is by far the nost important. It involves the greatest diversion of resources, the greatest inherent dangers and constitutes Lhe principal driving force of the world-wide armE race. all significant developnents in armaments originate here and spread from here to the rest of the world, with greater or lesser time lags' This competition ls even more intense than is suggested by the iNnense size and the rapid expansion of cheir arsenals, because it Lakes place prinarily in a qualitative rather than quantitative dinension, each new generation of weapons being rnore conrPlex and more destructive than the systen it replaces. 3. The strong qualitative momencum of the arms race has inportant consequenceg for the way it develops' the insecurity it generates and the effect lt has on the possibilit-ies for rtisirmarnent. In an arms race where the emghasls is on quantily, there is roon for saturation levels or for mutually agreeal ceilings and reductions, under conditions of rapid nilitary innovation, the alecisive factor is not so much the actual military strength of the opponents but rather those technological advances whtgh they nay achieve in a decade or so. Military procurement plans of countries in the forefront of the lechnological arms race seek neans of defeating their own most advanc€d weapons and neutralizing their own latest defences, thus conferring on rnilitary technology a nornentun and a rate of obsolescence nuch greater than in conparable civlllan applications. 4. The facts about the quaLitative character of the arms race - alarning and growing in importance - have to be kept in mind when measures to linit it are
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the global arms race and its implications on international relations and national security. The language used is technical and focused on military technology and innovation, suggesting that the text is more concerned with strategic and defense-related issues rather than economic or social development.

**Category**
Science and technology, International relations