1

THE COUP AND ITS AFTERMATH
Christopher Donnelly, a specialist on Soviet Affairs

2

THE STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TREATY: REDUCING THE RISK OF WAR
Ambassador Linton F. Brooks, Head of the US Delegation to the negotiations on Nuclear and Space Arms

During the nearly fifty years since the first nuclear weapon was developed, the world has witnessed the creation and development of ever-increasing numbers and kinds of strategic nuclear weapons. It watched with great uneasiness as such weapons became the foundation of a bipolar relationship based on confrontation and mistrust. At the same time, the United States and its allies have relied on strategic nuclear weapons as a means of deterring war and ensuring Western safety and security.

3

PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BULGARIA AND NATO: A PROMISING DEVELOPMENT
Victor Valkov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria

On the eve of the new millenium, Europe and the world are undergoing profound and almost incredible changes. In this environment, states, political forces and leading figures are reassessing anew their attitudes and strategies in order to be able to meet the challenges of the years to come.

4

NATO AND CENTRAL EUROPE
Trevor Taylor, Head of the International Security Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London

Following the unsuccessful Moscow coup last August, the debate on NATO's relationship with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, has intensified. The following article, which expresses the personal views of the author, contributes to that debate by arguing that while NATO membership for these countries may not be the answer, there are other steps which the Alliance can and should take.

5

THE CSCE AND THE CREATION OF A PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Rafael Estrella, Member of the Spanish Senate

The Charter of Paris for a New Europe, signed by the Heads of State and Government of the CSCE member states in November 1990, mindful of the important part that parliamentarians can play in the CSCE process, called for 'greater parliamentary involvement in the CSCE, in particular through the creation of a CSCE parliamentary assembly, involving members of parliaments from all participating states'.

6

THE NEW EUROPE AND THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN
Alvaro de Vasconcelos, Director, Institute for Strategic and
International Studies, Lisbon

The Gulf War served as a brutal reminder that the southern hemisphere is not only suffering from increasingly serious economic and social problems but is also subject to a number of disputes over regional hegemony and an associated trend towards over-armament - issues that cannot fail to concern the European and Western powers. Despite the unquestionable significance of Central and Eastern Europe, the major problems of European and Western security and responsibility are not confined to that region alone.

7

ALLIED ARMS COOPERATION:NEED FOR A TRANSATLANTIC POLITICAL STRATEGY
David A.R. Cooper

David Cooper of the NATO International Staff has, for a number of years, been closely associated with key initiatives to enhance NATO armaments cooperation, particularly in the area of arms planning. In this article, he describes how NATO's defence procurement community is tackling some of the problems and opportunities flowing from a rapidly changing security environment.