This article analyses attempts to regulate the access to arms in Central America from the beginning of the World War I to the end of the 1920s. During these years, the USA was not only the politically and economically dominant force in the region – they were also the main provider of weapons. In a region where societies were reshaped by the integration into a global economy, political groups depended on the access to weapons to enforce their claims for power. This gave the US government the possibility to use arms exports as well as arms embargos to shape politics in the region. Within this setting, arms control through international law became a contested subject. The First World War boosted international debates about disarmament. The Wilson administration joined these debates with proposals, which would have enabled Washington to better control the flow of arms into the Western Hemisphere. Central American governments, on the other hand, joined disarmament negotiations in Geneva to shape international law in a way to restrict Washington’s influence in the region and to ensure equal treatment at the international level. The impact of this conflict was not limited to the Western Hemisphere, and it left its imprint on European disarmament policies. Thus, this article reveals how international arms control was inscribed at the same time in imperial and anti-imperial agendas in a region with formally sovereign states.

本文分析了从第一次世界大战开始到 1920 年代末在中美洲管制武器获取的尝试。这些年来，美国不仅是该地区政治和经济上的主导力量，而且还是武器的主要供应国。在一个社会因融入全球经济而重塑的地区，政治团体依靠获得武器来实现他们的权力主张。这使美国政府有可能利用武器出口和武器禁运来塑造该地区的政治。在这种情况下，通过国际法进行军备控制成为一个有争议的话题。第一次世界大战促进了关于裁军的国际辩论。威尔逊政府加入了这些辩论并提出了建议，这将使华盛顿能够更好地控制武器流入西半球。另一方面，中美洲各国政府加入了在日内瓦举行的裁军谈判，以限制华盛顿在该地区的影响力并确保在国际层面上平等对待国际法。这场冲突的影响不仅限于西半球，而且还对欧洲的裁军政策留下了印记。因此，本文揭示了国际军备控制如何在一个拥有正式主权国家的地区同时写入帝国和反帝国议程。参加在日内瓦举行的裁军谈判，以限制华盛顿在该地区的影响力并确保国际层面的平等待遇来制定国际法。这场冲突的影响不仅限于西半球，而且还对欧洲的裁军政策留下了印记。因此，本文揭示了国际军备控制如何在一个拥有正式主权国家的地区同时写入帝国和反帝国议程。参加在日内瓦举行的裁军谈判，以限制华盛顿在该地区的影响力并确保国际层面的平等待遇来制定国际法。这场冲突的影响不仅限于西半球，而且还对欧洲的裁军政策留下了印记。因此，本文揭示了国际军备控制如何在一个拥有正式主权国家的地区同时写入帝国和反帝国议程。