cover image How NATO Weakens the West

How NATO Weakens the West

Melvyn B. Krauss. Simon & Schuster, $18.45 (271pp) ISBN 978-0-671-54455-3

Krauss, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and economics professor at New York University, calls the North Atlantic Treaty Orgnaization a ""lopsided partnership'' and believes that continued European dependence on American protection and weapons is ``absurd.'' Pointing out that NATO eats up an elephantine portion of the U.S. defense budgetfrom 42% to 58%, according to estimates quoted herehe argues that the Europeans are very far from pulling their own weight in the alliance. Krauss is also sharply critical of Japan's defense (``A country of Japan's wealth surely should play a more substantial role in securing the region in which it is located''). The main thrust of his argument is that the removal of U.S. troops and subsidies would increase, not decrease, European, Japanese and South Korean efforts in their own defense (and save the U.S. billions of dollars). While not calling for a direct withdrawal of troops, he does urge an announcement of phased withdrawal as a way toward ending what he terms the defense free-ride of our major allies. (October 30)