Tactical Nuclear Weapons and Euro-atlantic Security ― The Future of NATO

This book offers a comprehensive examination of the important security issue of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, the last remaining case of forward deployment in the world.

Nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament have returned to the top of the international political agenda. The issue assumes particular importance in regard to NATO, given that some 150-200 US tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) are still present in five countries belonging to the Alliance (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey).The past few years have seen animated debate in the United States and Europe on the role of such weapons in the current scenario of international security, and whether they can be further reduced or completely removed from Europe. Bringing together leading scholars and analysts of TNW with country-specific competences, this volume aims to improve our understanding of this debate and to contribute to it by providing in-depth analysis of the presence, role, perceived value and destiny of TNW in Europe.

The book addresses the issue in a systematic manner, taking into account the perspective of all main actors directly or indirectly involved in the debate. It assesses the position and the rationale of each of the five European TNW hosting countries as well as the viewpoints of NATO, the USA, the Russian Federation, and the new NATO member states of Central and Eastern Europe. This approach provides new and important insights that can inform both theoretical and policy work on a very critical and timely international issue, especially during the ongoing review process of NATO’s deterrence and defence posture.

This book will be of much interest to students of European Politics, European Security, nuclear proliferation, and IR in general.

Paolo Foradori is Senior Lecturer in the School of International Studies at the University of Trento, and Associate Fellow of the Project on Managing the Atom at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.