Abstract
The intense controversy of the early 1980s over deployment of new American intermediate-range nuclear missiles had important effects on thinking in western Europe about defense. It crystallized longstanding doubts and concerns about NATO’s military posture into a sweeping and fundamental criticism of that posture. The result was the generation of an array of proposals to change the entire structure of western defense unilaterally. These proposals have been given many names: alternative defense, non-provocative defense, structural incapacity for attack, reactive defense. There is no standard designation. I prefer “non-offensive defense,” because this term seems to me best to capture the intention of the theorizers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes and References
Horst Atheldt, Defensive Verteidigung, Reinbek, Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, 1983;
Norbert Hannig, Verteidigen Ohne Zu Bedrohen, November, 1986, AFES, Institut für Politik und Wissenschaft, Universität Stuttgart.
Studiengruppe Alternative Sicherheitspolitik, Strukturwandel der Verteidigung, Opladen, Westdeutcher Verlag, 1984; Lutz Unterseher, Defending Europe: Toward a Stable Deterrent, Studiengruppe Alternative Sicherheitspolitik, Bonn, 1986;
John Grin and Lutz Unterseher, “The Spiderweb Defense,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September 1988.
Albrecht A. C. von Mueller, The Integrated Forward Defense, Starnberg, 1985; “Confidence Building by Hardware Measures,” paper for the 34th Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, July 1984; “Structural Stability at the Central Front,” Paper no. 13, Niels Bohr Centennial, University of Copenhagen, September, 1985.
Karsten Voigt, Konventionelle Stabilisierung und strukturelle Nightangriffsfähigkeit, Bonn, Beilage Zum Parliament, Aus Politik und Zeitgeschehen, 1988.
See Vitaly Zhurkin, Sergei Karaganov, Andrei Kortunov, “Reasonable Sufficiency—or How to Break the Vicious Circle,” Moscow, New Times, Oct. 12, 1987.
See A. Kokoshin and V. Larionov, “The Battle of Kursk from the Standpoint of Defensive Doctrine,” in World Economy and International Relations, Moscow, no. 8, 1987;
and A. Kokoshin and V. Larionov, “The General Setting of Opposing Forces in the Context of Guaranteeing Strategic Stabilization,” World Economy and International Relations, Moscow, June, 1988.
See David Holloway, “Gorbachev’s New Thinking,” in Foreign Affairs, America and the World, 1988/89.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1989 Union of Concerned Scientists
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dean, J. (1989). The New Thinking about Armed Forces in West and East: Can It Help in East/West Negotiations?. In: Meeting Gorbachev’s Challenge. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20462-5_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20462-5_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-51878-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-20462-5
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)