Author Description

Spain's entry into NATO has changed the strategic balance of the entire Western Alliance. It has also created considerable tension within the alliance and in Spanish domestic politics. Because it was kept out of European politics for so many years during the dictatorship of Franco, Spain's people and their leaders have perspectives on world issues that differ markedly from those of their European and US counterparts. Spaniards of differing political viewpoints describe the nature of Spanish foreign-policy thinking and the effects of Spain's singular history on the nation's modern role in world affairs. The chapters are juxtaposed to academic analyses of the consequences for the Western Alliance of Spain's entry into NATO, placing the Spanish perspective in a broader context and indicating the points of tension between Spain and the other Western allies.