The Search for a European Dimension in the Alliance: the 1960s & 1970s

Abstract

By the end of the 1950s, it was established that NATO would be the main forum for European defence efforts to take place. This opened the way for a new era, built on the transatlantic imbalance between Western Europe and the US in terms of power and military strength. This posed two related problems; firstly, a lack of Western European participation in strategic and nuclear planning which created an uneasiness in the relationship between the US and its allies. Secondly, the inequitable distribution of burdens gradually came to the attention of Congress and domestic circles in the US, who argued about the wisdom of this unquestioning commitment to the European allies, who seemed unwilling to increase their share of the burden.