With the end of the Cold War, many of the old threats associated with nuclear war are disappearing. Yet new threats have emerged. The rise of nationalism, the spread of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons to politically unstable countries, the increase in world population, and the debt crisis all contribute to security problems which must be resolved.

In The Role and Control of Weapons in the 1990's, Frank Barnaby considers a possible path for defense issues as the twentieth century draws to a close. He assesses the possibilities for future European defense and the role of the U.S. as global superpower. He also considers the capabilities offered by new military technology and the outstanding need for control of weapons of mass destruction in light of the proliferation of ballistic missiles in the Third World countries and the possibility that international terrorists will acquire nuclear weaponry. Ultimately, he argues for a comprehensive ban on all nuclear-weapon tests as an arms control measure.