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Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO.pdf - Program on Strategic ...

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While the populace in most European <str<strong>on</strong>g>NATO</str<strong>on</strong>g> countries<br />

may have quietly forgotten about, or stopped<br />

worrying about, Alliance nuclear weap<strong>on</strong>s strategy or<br />

forward-deployed nuclear bombs <strong>on</strong> European soil,<br />

<strong>on</strong>ce reminded of them they are likely to be as sensitive<br />

to these issues as they have ever been. The potential<br />

“fallout” from such a reminder may be highly unpredictable.<br />

In the current informati<strong>on</strong> envir<strong>on</strong>ment,<br />

with short memories <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> attenti<strong>on</strong> spans, for populati<strong>on</strong>s<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> the news media suddenly to be reminded<br />

that there are some 150-200 elderly U.S. nuclear freefall<br />

bombs scattered around Europe could have quite<br />

a shock effect. Part of the problem for the Alliance,<br />

including even those within it who might welcome<br />

a wider public debate, is that it might well not be at<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>NATO</str<strong>on</strong>g>’s time of choosing, or <strong>on</strong> its own terms, that the<br />

issue suddenly grabs the public <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> media c<strong>on</strong>sciousness.<br />

That has not happened yet. Yes, debate has been<br />

revived <strong>on</strong> the future of <str<strong>on</strong>g>NATO</str<strong>on</strong>g>’s nuclear posture, but<br />

so far <strong>on</strong>ly up to a point, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> not really much bey<strong>on</strong>d<br />

a relatively limited policy elite. Even so, the airing of<br />

disagreements has set off official alarm bells <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> encouraged<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>NATO</str<strong>on</strong>g> governments to try to put a lid <strong>on</strong><br />

these discussi<strong>on</strong>s.<br />

To underst<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> how public flare-ups can occur, <strong>on</strong>e<br />

<strong>on</strong>ly has to look back to the public anguish <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> rancor<br />

that accompanied the effort in the 1980s to deploy<br />

cruise <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> Pershing missiles in Europe as part of the<br />

intermediate nuclear force st<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>-off with the Soviet<br />

Uni<strong>on</strong>. The recent flurry of discussi<strong>on</strong>s has not yet<br />

come close to spilling over into public agitati<strong>on</strong> in the<br />

same way. But it could have the potential to be at least<br />

as divisive.<br />

In the circumstances of a renewed public engagement<br />

with the nuclear weap<strong>on</strong>s issue, a <str<strong>on</strong>g>NATO</str<strong>on</strong>g> that has<br />

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