Entspannung braucht Abschreckung – Abschreckung braucht Entspannung

Deterrence and Détente have again come to the forefront of NATO’s agenda. As a response to Russia’s forced annexation of Crimea and destabilization of the Ukraine, NATO decided already at its 2014 Summit in Wales to rebalance its tasks, giving renewed attention to deterrence. The 2016 NATO Summit saw a return to the twin approach of Harmel: to link deterrence and dialogue. Until today, western states act along traditional lines: they strengthen conventional capabilities for deterrence and aim to revitalize conventional arms control. However, to achieve more security through the Harmel approach from Cold War times, three conditions would need to be met: a) both pillars, deterrence and dialogue have to be adapted to a new security environment, b) to from a coherent approach, initiatives in the two pillars have to be actively coordinated in reference to each other and among NATO-allies, c) Russia would need to return to the dialogue.