Book Reviews : NATO's Southern Allies: Internal and External Challenges edited by John Chipman. London: Routledge, 1988. 399pp. £35.00
| Published date | 01 May 1989 |
| Author | Nigel Clive |
| DOI | 10.1177/004711788900900517 |
| Date | 01 May 1989 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
466
Both
SALT
and
START
are
aspects
of
what
he
calls
international
structure
as
an
information
system.
SALT
I
and
II
represented
successful
rule
generation
between
the
two
blocs
that
helped
to
maintain
hierarchical
equilibrium
within
and
between
the
alliances.
It
was
the
SALT
process
that
was
most
important.
START,
however,
could
present
dangers
as
well
as
opportunities.
If
it
goes
too
far,
i.e.,
toward
elimination
rather
than
reductions
in
nuclear
weapons,
it
presents
the
destabilizing
danger
of
the
breakdown
of
alliance
hierarchy
and,
according
to
the
theory,
this
would
lead
to
an
increase
in
the
probability
of
systemic
war.
In
short,
Reykjavik,
if
it
had
not
foundered
on
SDI,
could
have
been
a
system
disaster.
These
conclusions
will
leave
a
lot
of
people
unhappy
since
they
imply
that
nuclear
disarmament
could
be
dangerous.
Moreover,
they
are
status
quo
arguments
for
bloc
maintenance
and
Superpower
hegemony,
very
remi-
niscent
of
the
writing
of
Michael
Mandelbaum,
who
is
strangely
absent
from
the
bibliography.
’When
disputes
involving
exclusively
major
powers
overlap
with
conflicts
between
great
and
small
powers,
the
die
appears
to
be
cast
for
a
systemic
or
general
war.’
Minimum
entropy
within
the
alliances
is
essential
to
the
maintenance
of
hierarchy
of
the
alliances
and
this
is
essential
to
structural
stability.
If this
is
correct,
current
trends
within
both
alliances,
but
especially
in
Eastern
Europe,
could
be
especially
dangerous.
Widespread
instability
in
Eastern
Europe,
prompted
only
in
part
by
Soviet
behaviour,
could
lead
to
great
East-West
uncertainty,
not
least
over
that
central
problem
between
the
two
sides
since
1945,
the
German
question.
While
we
are
currently
in
a
period
in
which
the
problems
within
the
alliances
are
greater
than
those
between
them,
this
may
change
leading
to
systemic
structural
instability,
with
obvious
consequences. If Mid-
larsky’s
theory
is
right,
then
the
conclusion
must
be
that
we
are
entering
not
only
an
uncertain
but
potentially
catastrophic
future.
Optimistic
critics
will
contend
that
it
is
excessive
concentration
on
international
structure
that
leads
to
this
pessimistic
conclusion.
University
of Kent
DAN
HIESTER
NATO’s
Southern
Allies:
Internal
and
External
Challenges
edited
by
John
Chipman.
London:
Routledge,
1988.
399pp. £35.00.
In
addition
to
editing
the
contributions
of
well
chosen
academic
specialists
from
Portugal,
Spain,
Italy,
Greece
and
Turkey,
John
Chipman
has
added
valuable
intro-
ductory
and
concluding
chapters
to
this
research
volume
from
the
Atlantic
Institute
for
International
Affairs.
The
co-ordination of
NATO
strategy
in
the
southern
tier
repre-
sents
a
greater
challenge
than
in
any
other
area
of
the
Western
alliance,
due
to
differing
interpretations
of
the
threat
to
national
independence
and,
in
the
case
of
Greece
and
Turkey,
to
a
series
of
still
unresolved
bilateral
disputes.
This
book
accordingly
analyses
the
political
and
military
problems
involved
in
a
proper
coalition
defence
against
both
the
Soviet
threat
and
threats
from
other
sources.
An
additional
complicating
factor
is
the
inevitable
link
between
the
security
of
the
southern
region
and
the
situation
in
the
Middle
East
and
the
Gulf.
This
comprehensive
approach
points
up
the
difficulties
and
complexities
of
developing
a
coherent
Western
policy
for
Mediterranean
security,
and
the
unlikelihood
of
states
in
the
southern
region
agreeing
to
the
use
of
US
facilities
on
their
territories
for
out-of-area
contingencies.
Alvaro
Vasconcelas
brings
out
the
geostrategic
importance
of
Portugal,
notably
the
vital
Lajes
airfield
on
the
island
of Terceira
in
the
Azores,
which
provides
an
ideal
base
for
Atlantic
surveillance
and
anti-submarine
warfare.
Indeed,
the
Azores
are
Portugal’s
s
best
bargaining
point
when
negotiating
with
Washington
or
London,
remembering
how
the
RAF
profited
from
this
facility
during
the
Falklands
crisis.
In
1973,
during
the
Yom
Kippur
war,
the
United
States
was
denied
the
use
of
facilities
in
the
United
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