Counterforce, Conventional Arms, and Confusion: A Comment on the Brussels Conference,
Abstract
The famous conference on 'NATO, The Next Thirty Years,' in Brussels on September 1-3, 1979, produced a great uproar because of Henry Kissinger's opening address. In consequence, the other papers at that conference were neglected. Now we can consider the Symposium as a whole, thanks to The Washington Quarterly. About one outstanding paper we need say little. Professor Samuel P. HUntington's 'American Foreign Policy: The Changing Political Universe' presents an admirably succinct summation of trends in America, buttressed by solid evidence and apt synthesis that brought reassurance to Europe. He proved that American puplic opinion is moving toward support of a stonger military posture, which pleased our shaken allies. Professor Michael Howard's 'Social Change and the Defense of the West' is, to this reader, a classic. His scope is global, and his depth extends to historical trends measured by the centuries. He understands war, in all its complexity and horror, and, as a corollary, the resultant aversion in the West even to consider it. Yet never has the sensible case for conventional defense in NATO been put better, in terms that reduce vast complexities to straightforward common sense. Given my opening allusion to mathematics, Professor Howard achieves the ultimate accolade of elegance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA095090
Entities
People
- Malcolm W. Hoag
Organizations
- RAND Corporation