Case #605.0

Managing NATO's Nuclear Business: The December 1979 Decision (B)

Publication Date: January 01, 1984
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Abstract:
This case chronicles the series of events that led the United States and its NATO allies to decide, in December 1979, to deploy new nuclear missiles in Western Europe that were capable of striking the Soviet Union. Part A provides background on the issues and describes the process by which NATO reached that decision. Part B carries the story through the anti-nuclear protest of the early 1980s to the first deployments of the missiles in December 1983. Managing NATO's Nuclear Business centers on the politics of the nuclear issue and how the military or nuclear balance is perceived. The case may serve as the basis for broad discussions of NATO strategy and/or NATO's management of sensitive issues of nuclear weapons and arms control. In addition, it can be used as an introduction to the study of European security arrangements. For courses that concentrate more on the process of policymaking than on the substance of defense and foreign policy, the case discussion might deal more directly with the United States, providing more focused analyses of how well the United States coped with the tangle of political and military factors in relations with its allies and with the Soviet Union.

Other Details

Teaching Plan:
Available with Educator Access
Case Author:
Gregory F. Treverton
Pages (incl. exhibits):
9
Setting:
Global
Language:
English