NCJ Number
135517
Date Published
1992
Length
160 pages
Annotation
The past year has witnessed several remarkable developments including the collapse and disintegration of communism in the Soviet Union and the Gulf War, and changing political and economic trends linked to security, terrorism, crime, and drug trafficking.
Abstract
Few forecasted the unraveling of the Soviet Union, and even economists and politicians who argued that Soviet society was ultimately doomed because of the inherent flaws of its command economy were surprised. The Gulf War was a significant instance of collective security at work, in which a coalition backed by the United Nations achieved the necessary consensus to expel Iraq from Kuwait. The coverage of both these developments examines lessons in the Gulf War and the use and role of technology in that war. The discussion then turns to political and economic change in Europe and associated terrorism, crime, and drug trafficking trends; the collapse of the Soviet-Eastern Europe bloc; transatlantic defense technology; the recovery of Eastern Europe in the 1990's; and prospects for a frontier-free Europe. Consideration is also given to British defense and future options, new threats to business security in Europe in the 1990's, the British Security Industry Association, and the security of the English Channel Tunnel.