ABSTRACT
In the early 1980s there had been an upsurge of public concern over the nuclear threat to Europe. Already saturated with nuclear weapons, Europe faced controversial new deployments and there was alarm over military strategies for nuclear war in the region. It is in this context that the idea of nuclear weapon-free zones had captured the popular imagination and became a political issue in Europe. Not only would such zones build confidence and raise the nuclear threshold, but they would be first steps towards a more comprehensive elimination of nuclear weapons.
Originally published in 1983 Nuclear Disengagement in Europe probes the question of nuclear weapon-free zones in the region. Pugwash and SIPRI arranged a meeting at which an international team of lawyers, scientists, politicians and military experts gave background information and provided an appraisal of problems regarding the zone initiatives as well as benefits that would accrue. Possible elements in a European zone arrangement were elaborated on and procedures towards the establishment of such a zone were suggested.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|49 pages
Nuclear Disengagement
part II|64 pages
Proposals for Nuclear Disengagement in Europe
chapter Paper 1|17 pages
Nuclear disengagement efforts 1955–80: politics of status quo or political change?
part III|50 pages
A Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone in the North: the Military Context
chapter Paper 8|16 pages
The geostrategic framework for a Nordic NWFZ and the political-military consequences
part IV|66 pages
Elements of a Nordic Zone
chapter Paper 9|23 pages
The establishment of nuclear weapon-free zones in Europe: proposal on a treaty text
part V|34 pages
Procedure