Alternative Defense Polieies and the Peace Movement
| Author | Ben Dankbaar |
| Published date | 01 June 1984 |
| Date | 01 June 1984 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/002234338402100205 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Alternative
Defense
Polieies
and
the
Peace
Movement
BEN
DANKBAAR
Transnational
Institute
(TNI),
Amsterdam
In
recent
years
several
alternative
defense
policies
have
been
developed
which
promise
to
diminish
or
eliminate
the
role
of
nuclear
weapons
in
the
defense
of
Western
Europe,
thereby
fulfilling
a
major
demand
of
the
peace
movement.
It
is
argued
that
these
alternatives
and
the
peace
movement
have
a
common
political
background
in
the
changing
relaitonship
between
the
U.S.
and
Western
Europe.
Furthermore,
it
is
shown
that
the
alternatives
are
also part
of
a
long-standing
debate
on
the
uses
of
modern
technology
for
defense.
Presently
developing
NATO
doctrine
(Deep
Strike)
can
be
seen
as
a
specific
solution
to
both
the
issues
of
relations
within
the
alliance
and
of
military
technology.
Criticism
of
this
doctrine
by
proponents
of
alternative
defense
policies
is
presented,
clarifying
the
criteria
used
in
the
construction
of
the
alternatives.
Three
types
of
alternatives
are
then
characterized.
First
the
proposals
for
No
First
Use
and
Inflexible
Response,
which
are
mainly
concerned
with
the
use
and
non-use
of
nuclear
weapons;
then
the
proposals
for
a
conventional
forward
defense;
lastly
the
proposals
for
conventional
defense
in
depth.
In
a
final
paragraph
it
is
shown
how
the
different
elements
of
these
alternatives
could
merge
in
a
general
new
approach
to
security
in
Europe.
The
prospects
for
this
alternative
approach
to
find
political
support
are
discussed
briefly.
1.
Introduction
The
peace
movement
I
in
recent
years has
stimulated
thinking
about
alternative
defense
policies
for
NATO.
The
declared
purpose
of
these
alternatives
is
(among
other
things)
to
diminish
or
eliminate
the
role
of
nuclear
weapons
in
the
defense
of
Western
Europe.
This
article
discusses
the
common
political
and
military
background
of
these
alternatives
and
gives
a
survey
of
their
main
characteristics.
An
effort
is
made
to
show
where
they
diverge
from
the
current
development
of
NATO
doctrine,
especially
the
so-called
’Deep
Strike
concept.
The
purpose
of
defense
policy
is
’to
protect
the
lives
and
rights
of
a
community
from
outside
attack’
(Alternative
Defence
Commis-
sion,
1983,
p.
12).
Hardly
anyone,
whether
inside
or
outside
the
peace
movement,
will
deny
that
this
is
a
legitimate
purpose,
although
differences
of
opinion
might
show
up
if
we
try
to
define
’the
rights
of
the
community’
more
precisely,
especially
where
it
concerns
the
right
to
protect
economic
or
other
’vital’
interests
outside
the
national
territory.
I will
not
discuss
here
the
many
difficulties
which
beset
any
effort
to
define
national
interest
or
national
security.
Generally
though,
it
seems
that
alternative
defense
policies
put
more
emphasis
on
the
consideration
that
the
legitimate
security
needs
of
any
community
cannot
be
defined
without
taking
into
account
the
security
needs
of
other
communities,
including
the
acknowl-
edged
opponents.
2
The
political
framework
of
NATO,
in
the
sense
of
some
kind
of
security
community
between
North
America
and
Western
Europe,
is
accepted
as
a
starting
point
in
most
alter-
natives.
This
is
in
agreement
with
a
general
attitude
in
the
modern
peace
movement,
which
has
been
reluctant
to
take
an
explicit
stand
against
NATO.
Fundamental to
the
peace
movement
in
Europe
is
not
some
kind
of
anti-
Americanism,
but
a
widespread
doubt
about
the
meaning
of
the
so-called
American
nuclear
guarantee
for
Western
Europe.
These
doubts
are
present
not
only
in
oppositional
and
protesting
groupings,
but
in
leading
circles
of
West-European
countries
as
well.
In
fact,
the
point
can
be
made
that
the
peace
movement
would
never
have
reached
the
importance
and
size
that
it
has
in
recent
years
if
it
had
not
reflected
some
basic
doubts
of
the
ruling
elites
in
its
countries.
What
in
our
days
increases
doubts
about
the
willingness
of
the
Americans
to
risk
the
destruction
of
large
parts
of
the
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