ABSTRACT
William Penn published one of his most visionary concepts, a plan for the future peace of Europe. Penn's plan, which called for a global parliament to sit in judgment on what would term disputes between sovereign states, later found resonance in many aspects of the Covenant of the League of Nations and the UN Charter. In the world situation, nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction are usually thought to represent a qualitatively different set of problems than is the case with "conventional" forces. However, deterrence theory reflects the reality that the use of conventional arms in certain situations could lead to the use of nuclear weapons as well. Interestingly, the twin goals of seeking "the lowest and most stable levels of nuclear forces needed" and preventing "any nation from maintaining disproportionate military power on the continent" echo Penn's plan.
