Consolidating Peace in Europe is a collection of essays and discussions by some of the leading experts in the field of international relations and disarmament. What distinguishes tis volume is the diversity of the participants, and candor with which they address Professor Kaplan's thesis. Scholars and diplomats from the Eastern bloc countries of Hungary, Romania, and the Soviet Union, as well as those from NATO countries of Italy, Germany, and the U.S. participate in a frank exchange of ideas on topics from nuclear arms control and nuclear disarmament to the transnational problems of reducing the threat of war in Europe.

Some of the issues raised include: the responsibility of a West divided by peace movements to create a unified diplomatic front; the need for both East and West to understand the contradictory behavior of the Soviet Union that is militarily strong but economically weak; and the development of a new political awareness for a generation of Europeans who have no direct experiece of post-World War II political tumult.

This important volume focuses attention on the most burning issue of our time: the question of human survival. It is mandatory reading for politicians, academics, students, and journalists following the current nuclear arms negotiations, and for anyone interested in preserving global tranquility.