What does a demilitarized zone mean? This concept means the special status of certain territories in which the armed forces are not located. They do not conduct combat maneuvers, there are no military installations. This status of the territory is fixed by international treaties or other acts, including domestic ones.
Appearance story
What is a demilitarized zone? This concept has a broad meaning. For the first time this term appeared in international legal literature after the end of the First World War. Subsequently, it began to be applied to territories that previously fell under this concept.
The term “demilitarization” itself was introduced in 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference. Then it was created to conveniently indicate the regime that was used in the Rhine zone. In this territory, according to international agreements, Germany did not have the right to deploy troops or fortifications.
The meaning of the concept
The demilitarized zone - this concept in Western literature has two different meanings. The first of these means the withdrawal of troops, military organizations and institutions from any territory. The second meaning is exemption from military control or control, as well as the establishment of civil authority.
According to the explanations of the Laruss Encyclopedic Dictionary, demilitarization includes a security measure established by international treaties or agreements that provide for the prohibition of any military activity in a certain area.
Adoption of legal acts
The conclusion of treaties or agreements on the absence of troops in a certain territory is carried out by interested states. Moreover, the demilitarized zone is not always a place where all military activities are completely prohibited. Sometimes international treaties simply limit the number of military fortifications and troops.
L. Oppenheim also reveals the concept of the term "demilitarization". According to his explanations, this concept means an agreement concluded between two or more states, which obliges the governments of these countries not to keep troops within a certain zone and not to create defensive fortifications there. The main purpose of such treaties is, as a rule, the prevention of military conflicts.
Demilitarization border zones
In international practice, there are a large number of agreements, the subject of which is the creation of a special territory along state borders. The border demilitarized zone divides the armed forces of neighboring countries, avoiding clashes and preventing war.
An example of such a terrain is the neutral zone twenty-five kilometers wide, which was formed in 1905 between Norway and Sweden on the territory of both states.
Other options
Other options are possible. In some cases, demilitarized zones were established only on one side of the border. In this territory, the threat of attack on neighboring countries was eliminated. An example of this is the Rhine demilitarized zone. It was created in 1919. The Versailles Treaty was the basis for the withdrawal of troops from this territory . The zone covered the territory of Germany, located on the left bank of the Rhine River, as well as a strip fifty kilometers wide on the right bank. In this area, it was forbidden to deploy German troops, build fortifications and conduct maneuvers.
On March 7, 1936, Germany sent its troops into the Rhine demilitarized zone, unilaterally refusing to fulfill the Versailles Treaty. To General von Blomberg, who carried out this operation, Hitler awarded the rank of Marshal.
Complete demilitarization
There is an article in the UN Charter that prohibits not only the threat of force, but also its use. It is for its observance that the demilitarization of certain territories is carried out. Such a zone can cover entire islands that are of great strategic importance. If international agreements are not violated, then in these territories the use of force or its threat is simply excluded.
After the end of World War II, the term “demilitarization” expanded somewhat. It began to be applied to the whole state. What does the demilitarized zone mean in this case? This term includes the complete destruction of the military-industrial complex of a country in the presence of certain international acts. Thus, the Potsdam and Yalta decisions of the three great powers - the USA, the USSR and Great Britain - proclaimed the demilitarization of Germany. These documents provided for the liquidation of military organizations and institutions, all troops and weapons, ammunition and specialized means in German territory.
In 1946, the United States prepared its own draft treaty regarding the demilitarization of Germany. This document was contrary to the main provisions of the Potsdam Agreement. Despite the proposals of the Soviet side to revise the project, the United States foiled negotiations and ensured that Germany was part of the aggressive North Atlantic bloc. At the same time, America openly embarked on the revival of German militarism.
Creating atomic zones
In the modern period, demilitarization has gained particular importance. In connection with the emergence of a new type of weapon, the problem of creating nuclear-free territories has become urgent. What does the demilitarized zone mean in the new conditions? These are measures aimed at banning the use of various types of nuclear weapons in individual areas where the international situation is tense. The creation of such zones avoids military conflicts, the result of which may be the beginning of a nuclear war. In addition, the creation of such demilitarized territories has other goals. In particular, these agreements are important steps towards the prohibition of all types of nuclear weapons.
So, in 1957, the plan for creating such a zone was put forward by Poland. This state issued a memorandum which provided for a ban on the production, stockpiling and import of nuclear weapons into the territory of some European states. In addition to Poland, this list included Czechoslovakia, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.
The peace initiative was supported by the government of the USSR. The GDR and Czechoslovakia agreed to sign the agreement. The proposal to create a nuclear-free zone was supported by the democratic forces of Western countries, as well as by some military experts. However, despite this, the contract was not signed. It was rejected by the governments of Western countries.
To date, there is only one agreement that provides for the existence of a nuclear-free zone. It is the Antarctic Treaty. The signing of this document took place on 12/12/1959. According to the terms of this agreement, it is forbidden in the Antarctic to carry out any military measures, to test any types of weapons and to conduct tests even of a non-military nature. Although this territory is uninhabited, the 1959 agreement is a good start, paving the right path.
The list of demilitarization zones
Currently, between the Spanish territories of Melilla and Ceuta, as well as northern Morocco, there is a territory on which there are no military installations and troops are not deployed. The zone of demilitarization, as already mentioned, is the entire continent of Antarctica. Asia also has its own demilitarized zone. Since 1953, Korea has been divided into South and North by this territory. There are no troops on the border of Thailand and Cambodia, as well as in the border zones of Iraq and Kuwait. Zones of complete demilitarization are located on the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.
There are no armed forces in some areas of Europe. An example of this is the UN zone located on the island of Cyprus, as well as a strip of terrain on the border of Kosovo and Serbia. Since 1920, Norway has managed the demilitarized territory of the Svalbard archipelago.
As early as 1856, the Paris Peace Treaty approved the absence of military organizations in the Åland Islands. Moreover, this happened with unilateral obligations on the part of Russia. This status of the territory of Finland was recognized by the Soviet Union.
There is a demilitarized zone in Ukraine. It is located between this state and the Transdniestrian Moldavian Republic.
The relevance of demilitarization
To date, the most acute issue of our time is the problem of the likelihood of military conflicts, as well as the militarization of the economic sphere.
After all, the arms race is not cheap for humanity . Those military conflicts that occurred between 1945 and 1990 claimed the lives of almost ten million people.
The global confrontation, which weakened after the collapse of the USSR and the liquidation of the Warsaw Accords, was replaced by local conflicts of a religious, ethnic and territorial nature. At the same time, many countries possess nuclear weapons, which are extremely dangerous for world peace. That is why the issue of demilitarization, which is a convenient solution for the elimination of armed conflicts, does not lose its relevance.
Computer demilitarization
Today, there are practically no companies that do not have access to the global Internet. This is a common technology with which you can quickly search for the necessary information, exchange data and documents, which can significantly improve the work.
However, there is a downside. When using the World Wide Web, the transmitted information must be protected. That is why you need a demilitarized network zone (DMZ) at any scale of the company. The principle of its work is simple. Typically, a router helps users access the Internet. In this case, the demilitarized zone will be a separate subnet that has no connection with either the local network or the World Wide Web. This method will protect information from unauthorized access.