East-West relations in Europe: observations and advice from the sidelines, 1971-1982

First published in 1984. As scholar, researcher, and commentator, Dr. Paul E. Zinner has spent much of the last six years in Europe studying the development of East-West relations, observing negotiations on arms reduction, and conducting interviews with foreign policy and national security experts from key countries. This book brings together eleven of his essays~-nearly all previously unpublished--that emphasize developments since 1977. The essays cover a broad range of topics, among them the status and prospects of the Vienna troops reduction talks; the political and military implications of NATO's "double track" decision concerning modernization of intermediate-range nuclear forces in Europe; the impact of the crises in Afghanistan and Poland on the Western alliance; and the foreign policy options available to the Reagan administration. Also included are assessments of current trends in the NATO alliance and a cautious projection of the political climate in Western Europe by the end of the 198Os. Updated throughout with introductory and commentary notes, the essays provide insight into the dominant themes in the interaction between the NATO and Warsaw Pact powers.