Strategy, Doctrine, and the Politics of Alliance: Theatre Nuclear Force Modernisation in NATO

This book examines the processes of nuclear policymaking in NATO and the interaction of alliance strategy with the docrines underlying it. Dr. Buteux focuses on the issue of theatre nuclear force modernisation to illustrate his thesis that NATO’s strategic posture results from a political process in which other than purely strategic objectives are sought; agreements on alliance strategy may in fact be related only indirectly to the actual military posture of the alliance and the means available to support it. The book highlights the cumulative effect of strategic and technological change on the strategy and nuclear politics of NATO. Emphasizing that the present strategic environment has called into question many of the strategic and political premises on which NATO’s nuclear posture has been based, Dr. Buteux gives special attention to recent proposals to deploy enhanced-radiation weapons (the ＂neutron bomb＂) and new intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe. He considers the impact of these proposals on NATO’s nuclear policymaking process and on the ability of the alliance to continue to base its deterrent posture on the concept of flexible response.

Dr. Buteux is associate professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba. He is author of The PoUtias of Nuaiear Consultation in NATO, 1965-1980.