British Security Policy and the Atlantic Alliance: Prospects for the 1990s (review)

286 SAIS REVIEW the treaty itself, as the prime instrument of interpretation in both the U.S. and Soviet legal systems, shows this was not what the two superpowers agreed. The third part of the author's case considers the treaty ratification process, and here again his use of evidence is selective. Garthoff quotes statements that support his view of the treaty at length while virtually ignoring such important evidence as president Nixon's Letter of Transmittal and the testimony of secretary of state Rogers and ambassador Smith, chairman of the U.S. SALT delegation . Here again the problem arises of what people thought they had accomplished versus what the letter of the treaty and the official negotiating record reflect. The final part of Garthoffs analysis is concerned with American and Soviet practice since 1972, which the author feels is in accord with his view of the treaty. This is true insofar as neither the United States nor the Soviet Union has deployed exotic ABM systems. What the analysis ignores, however, is the enormous Soviet research and development program in precisely this area. Raymond L. Garthoffs examination of the ABM interpretation issue is detailed and often thick reading and may be of more interest to the specialist than the novice. To the uninitiated it may appear to be a devastating attack on the administration's reading of the ABM treaty; to the expert it provides a solid presentation of one side of a contentious issue. British Security Policy and the Atlantic Alliance: Prospects for the 1990s. By Martin Holmes, et al. Washington, D.C.: Pergamon-Brassey's, 1987. 135 pp. $9.95/paper. Reviewed by DavidJ. Meiselman, M.A. candidate, SAIS. In determining its defense policy for the future, Britain faces a unique set of requirements and circumstances. Britain is an insular power and has historically considered the whole world to be its concern, but today Britain is faced with decreasing resources to allocate to its many foreign commitments. The current British debate on defense is one that seeks to match decreasing means to those ends that are determined to be the most vital. In British Security Policy and the Atlantic Alliance the authors detail several aspects of this debate, from the domestic political aspects to economic constraints and the significance of the eventual outcome for U.S. policy in Europe. They also cover the role of Britain's attitude toward the United States, examine British participation in joint arms development and procurement, and analyze specific changes that could take place in Britain's defense posture. Martin Holmes, a lecturer in politics at Oxford University, writes that the domestic political aspect of the British defense debate has taken on a "semipermanent shape." He sees the Labour party maintaining a unilateralist defense policy with nuclear disarmament as its key because of the increased power of the hard Left in the parliamentary party. He maintains that a single coherent policy will be crucial to the political future of the Social Democratic party/liberal alliance. Finally, he argues that the latest electoral victory of the Conservatives has at least temporarily ensured the stability of British defense policy. BOOK REVIEWS 287 Gerald Frost, director of the Institute for European Defense and Strategic Studies, states that British foreign policy will maintain its focus on relations with its three most important partners: the Commonwealth, Europe, and the United States. Christopher Coker, a lecturer in international relations at the London School of Economics, writes that within these broader foreign policy outlines there will be a defense posture that will include greater mission and role specialization for British forces. He goes on to state that two potential areas for change in British forces are reductions in the strength of the Rhine army and the possibility of leasing equipment for British forces from other European countries. David Greenwood, director of the Center for Defense Studies, University of Aberdeen, and Mark D.W. Edington of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, have contributed pieces on the economic constraints on defense policy and on British participation in "collaborative procurement," respectively. What emerges from these pieces is a profound realization that there will continue to be a gap between the funds...