The Atlantic Defense Relationship
Core, Troubles, Prospects
ResearchPublished 1974
The Atlantic Alliance is viewed as having a sound core and a persistent malaise. The sound core consists of the common need to create a steady military counterweight to Soviet power. The malaise results from the unresolvable conflict between the unity requirements of the security bond and the political separateness of the states it is supposed to hold together. The conflict has run along several fissure lines, some geographic, some functional. The resulting irritating issues have eroded the core of the alliance and made it vulnerable. But since what ails the alliance is not so much international but domestic malfunctions, the author points out what appears to be a necessary condition for its survival; states must solve their domestic problems. Failure of the liberal order in the Western countries today threatens their security more fundamentally than do their differences over diplomacy, alliance strategy, and national defense efforts.
Topics
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Year: 1974
- Print Format: Paperback
- Paperback Pages: 11
- Paperback Price: $20.00
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/P5262
- Document Number: P-5262
Citation
RAND Style Manual
Chicago Manual of Style
Mendershausen, Horst, The Atlantic Defense Relationship: Core, Troubles, Prospects, RAND Corporation, P-5262, 1974. As of September 5, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5262.html
Mendershausen, Horst, The Atlantic Defense Relationship: Core, Troubles, Prospects. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1974. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5262.html. Also available in print form.
This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.