The purpose of this paper is to discuss the origins of the 1979 NATO dual track decision about the deployment of 464 cruise missiles “Gryphon” and 108 “Pershing II” – the so called Euromissiles. In order to highlight some facets of the story that need to be fully taken into account and that are often somewhat neglected, the paper tries to take a longer perspective, stretching back to the late 1960s. In particular, the paper will assess 1) the technological side of the story, which is often written away as a simple technical detail; 2) the overall context of the Transatlantic strategic debate in the early 1970s about the implementation of flexible response and about the best way to define the Alliance’s nuclear strategy; 3) the inter-alliance debates on NATO policies, détente and arms control in the mid ‘70s; 4) some of the different national rationales for the choice of 1979. -
Nuti, L. (2009). The Origins of the 1979 Dual Track Decision – A Survey. In L. Nuti (a cura di), The Crisis of Detente in Europe.From Helsinki to Gorbachev 1975-1985 (pp. 57-71). LONDRA : Routledge.
The Origins of the 1979 Dual Track Decision – A Survey
NUTI, Leopoldo
2009-01-01
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the origins of the 1979 NATO dual track decision about the deployment of 464 cruise missiles “Gryphon” and 108 “Pershing II” – the so called Euromissiles. In order to highlight some facets of the story that need to be fully taken into account and that are often somewhat neglected, the paper tries to take a longer perspective, stretching back to the late 1960s. In particular, the paper will assess 1) the technological side of the story, which is often written away as a simple technical detail; 2) the overall context of the Transatlantic strategic debate in the early 1970s about the implementation of flexible response and about the best way to define the Alliance’s nuclear strategy; 3) the inter-alliance debates on NATO policies, détente and arms control in the mid ‘70s; 4) some of the different national rationales for the choice of 1979. -I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
