Publication

BASIC and ICDS convened a roundtable on 15th March in Tallinn, Estonia to discuss the dimensions involved in NATO's deterrence and defence posture review. The current reality is that the risk of nuclear war has evaporated and Russia is a partner; yet there remain strong suspicions amongst some allies of Russia's intentions, the commitment to nuclear deterrence remains universal amongst NATO's members, and the Strategic Concept implies continued commitment to the deployment of US theatre nuclear weapons (TNWs) in Europe, though it is not explicit. What lies behind this commitment, and what is the role for these nuclear weapons? The roundtable surfaced a number of diverging perspectives on some of the inescapable contradictions involved in NATO's deterrent posture.