Bargaining within and between Alliances on MBFR.

Negotiations on Mutual Balanced Force Reductions MBFR in Central Europe opened in Vienna on October 30, 1973. In these negotiations, members of the two major military alliances of the post-World War II period, NATO and the Warsaw Pact, have sought to reduce their military forces in Central Europe. The central objective of these negotiations is to establish a stable military balance in Central Europe and to reduce defense costs for all participants. This paper assesses these negotiations during their first four years, and evaluates prospects for agreement. Special emphasis is placed on the multilateral character of these negotiations, particularly on the simultaneous process of conducting negotiations both within and between alliances. Author