negatlve verdict on the arns race has not even been partially implemented will beto understate the obvious. The simple fact is that, more than ever before, the attempts of the t0ajor military ponrers who bear the rnain responsibllity fornegotiating agreeroent€ to arrest and reverse the arms race, particuarly in thenuclear field, have acquired an elenent of sisyphean elusLven€ss. Technological imProvenents in nuclear neaponry and strategic rethinking accompanying these have made it extremely difficult to negotiate mtually acceptable neasures for loreringmUitary build-ups ln confornity with the principles of undiminished security (see A/36/597, para. L9). The ingenuity sho$n in past proposals for achieving a breakthrough in the nuclear escalation ladder through a comprehensive test ban has been virtually ignored as the positlons of the major negotiating parties about whentesting should stop and to what extent it requires verification never colnclded(A/35/257. para. 6). l.Iothing has been done in recent years to implenent neasures such as a unilateral and agreed noratorium on testing, a rthresholdr beyond whichaII underground tests would be banned with or without a noratorium, a progressive lowering of the threshold as veriflcation techniques inproved, and interim neasuresto reduce the nunber and rnagnitude of tests and to phase then out. The trenendous poCential- for verification offered by historically unprecendented achievements in apaee technology thrdrgh satellite rnonitoring renains unexplored (seeA/4C.206/L4t. Non-mllitary confidence-bu ildihg neasures assiduously designed to produce the nutual trust necessary for political deternination have clearly becomeinextrlcably dependent on conf idence-building measures of a rnil itary character,especlally in sone regions r,etrere the rnilitary factor has undeniable priority (see P{36/474, ahnex, para. 15). 113. In the neanwhiler the world is rDving perllously closer to the danger of another uorld war, to avoid the occurrence of which the Unlted Natlons was
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the challenges and obstacles in the process of disarmament and arms control, specifically in the context of nuclear weapons. The language used is technical and diplomatic, indicating a focus on international relations and politics. The text mentions various proposals, negotiations, and agreements, which suggests a connection to international diplomacy and security.

**Category**
International relations, Security