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Are NATO's mutual security commitments strong enough today to deter all adversaries? Is the nuclear umbrella as credible as it was during the Cold War? This book brings together experts and Scholars from the policy and academic worlds to provide a rich and etailed analysis of post-Cold War nuclear weapons policy, nuclear deterrence, alliance commitments, nonproliferation, and missile defense in NATO but with implications far beyond.

This year’s “Bulletin zur schweizerischen Sicherheitspolitik” (in German) includes chapters on Switzerland’s participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace, Switzerland’s strategic partnership with Turkey, and the rise of private security companies in Switzerland. It also includes an interview with Markus Seiler, the director of the Swiss Intelligence Services (NDB). It has been launched in Berne on October 27.

Notwithstanding the Fukushima disaster, a number of threshold countries are planning to start programs for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including in Asia. In its program, Vietnam is already at a relatively advanced stage. Currently, however, there is no evidence of a Vietnamese atomic weapons program. But a more aggressive policy of China could increase Hanoi’s interest in creating its own nuclear deterrent.

In the past 20 years, military conscription has been regarded as an obsolescent model for security policy. However, in several countries, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine have set off debates on bringing back the draft. While this form of national defense will not make a great comeback, alternative models are gaining popularity.