ABSTRACT
A nuclear weapon-free zone in Europe would in effect be a buffer zone. A zone arrangement involves the means of achieving political and military ends, not an end in itself. In relation to most of these ends, it would be artificial to draw a sharp distinction between nuclear disengagement and withdrawal of other military forces. In central Europe, three objectives stand out as particularly important: to raise the nuclear threshold, to reduce the danger of surprise attack, and to facilitate the solution of the German question. Nuclear disengagement is a more tangible proposition than no-first-use, and attracts more public support. Even a modest beginning may raise the nuclear threshold significantly, and provide some greatly needed mutual confidence. Any proposal for nuclear disengagement has, furthermore, to be combined with some agreement on conventional forces and/or unilateral changes of conventional defences. The proposals to give European countries non-nuclear status, or enhance that status, vary according to the character of the area.
