Have the European Union and its Member States put arms control on the back burner?

Abstract:

The disarmament experienced during the last decade is over and the world seems poised for a new arms race. While the US government shows an open disinterest in negotiated arms control and bases its policy on a strong military posture, European governments also seem to have put arms control on the back burner. Governments and experts argue about the perceived gap in military capability between the US and Europe while in reality the actual important gap exists between NATO and the rest of the world. Several suggestions are made in this article how governments in Europe can take initiatives to foster disarmament and arms control.