PRESS RELEASE

4 December 1998

New Report Backs German Demand for NATO Nuclear Debate

On December 8-9, the US-German controversy over the role of nuclear weapons in European defense will spill into the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels. Germany is requesting a debate about the role of nuclear weapons in NATO policy. In particular, they wish to examine the possibility of the Alliance adopting a policy of nuclear No First Use. The US has adamantly defended the current doctrine, and media reports indicated Germany had backed down. However, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer stated his intention to force a debate on NATO"s First Use policy in Brussels.

In fact, this conflict is part of an ongoing debate about the role of nuclear weapons in post-Cold War European security. This debate, and its background, are described in a new report, Nuclear Futures: Western European Options for Nuclear Risk Reduction, to be published on Monday, 7 December, by the British American Security Information Council.

The report examines British and French nuclear weapons and doctrine, NATO nuclear strategy, and the US nuclear role in Europe. It describes recent changes in nuclear policies, and looks at the debate about further modifications.

The report concludes with a set of recommendations designed to enhance the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, through a carefully selected program of risk reduction steps. They include reducing the alert status of nuclear weapons, ending the deployment of tactical weapons, and ending NATO’s policy of first use. These steps would signal a clear reduction in the political and military significance of nuclear weapons, thereby reducing their worth to potential proliferating states.

The report highlights the nuclear aspects of the emerging debate over the revision of NATO’s Strategic Concept. NATO plans to have this document – the Alliance’s guiding principles – finished for the April Summit in Washington. While Germany raises No First Use, the US proposes that NATO agree to use nuclear weapons to counter the proliferation of other weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, the UN First Committee approved a resolution calling for more rapid nuclear disarmament. Despite strong US opposition, Turkey was the only non-nuclear-weapon state in NATO to vote against the resolution.

Stephen Young, Senior Analyst at BASIC and one of the report’s authors, said "The debate on nuclear policy has finally begun, the Pandora’s box has been opened, and now NATO must address issues many had hoped to avoid."

"The British and French are proposing substantial changes in some aspects of NATO policy. With nuclear issues thrown into the ring, the outcome is much harder to predict," said Martin Butcher, a Visiting Fellow at BASIC and another of the report's authors.

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