dedicate ourselves to the task of preventing war of any kind. 4. The Charter of the United Nations directty addresses the issue of theprevention of war. t'lember Stat.es are obliged to abide by its provisions, and forenost among these are the principles set forth in Article 2, including in particular those calling for nembers to settle their disputes by peaceful means and to refrain from the threat. or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations. The continued failure of some to abide by these injunctions is alI too evident in the armed conflicts which today disturb international peace and security. It is a tragic conmentary on the state of international relations that all States do not comply fully r{ith t,he Charter and with other comnitments they have undertaken, such as the Helsinki Final Act. For their part, the united States and its allies continue to affirm that. they will not use nuclear weapons, nor indeed any weapons, otber than in response to aggression. 5. For preventing nr:clear rirar, preventing all warr in this imperfect and heavily armed world, nations cannot rely solely on agreements or similar undertakings not to use force. As long as the threat of aggression exists and international security is in doubt, nations need sonething more to protect them. For the United Statesr the purpose of military forces is to deter aggression or if that fails, todefeat it. As long as an imbalance of conventional forces remains and nuclear weapons exist, the United States and its allies will retain their conventional and nuelear forces and continue to rely on the strategy of nuclear deterrence which has helped to keep the peace for almost 40 years. 5. The United States believes that a key element in reducing the risk of nuclear
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the prevention of war and the role of military forces in deterring aggression, which suggests that it is related to international relations and security. However, the text also mentions the Charter of the United Nations and the principles set forth in Article 2, which implies that it is also related to international law and diplomacy.

**Category**
International relations, Humanitarian aid and relief