edited by Marco De Andreis and Paolo Miggiano

preface by Roberto Cicciomessere

IRDISP-RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR DISARMAMENT DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

CONTENTS

Preface - Roberto CICCIOMESSERE (3833)

Introduction - Marco DE ANDREIS and Paolo MIGGIANO (3834)

1. Control of nuclear weapons and American strategic doctrine - Marco DE ANDREIS (3835)

2. The strategic defence initiative - Marco CARNOVALE (3836)

3. Collective goods, "free riding" and the apportionment of Nato's defence burden - Mauro MARE' (3837)

4. The Italian security policy - Paolo MIGGIANO (3838)

5. The military expenditure in Italy - Marco DE ANDREIS, Alessandro LIBERATI, Mauro MARE', Paolo MIGGIANO (3839)

6. The evolution of the rules for the parliamentary control on the purchases of the Defence - Enea CERQUETTI (3840)

7. The Italian war industry and the exportation of armaments - Marco DE ANDREIS, Alessandro LIBERATI (3941)

8. A draft bill for the conversion of the war industry

- Francesco RUTELLI (3842

ABSTRACT: Fine that there is the arms race, but what has Italy to do with it? Aren't the U.S. and the Soviet Union the promoters of such race? It is true that the two superpowers are the chief responsibles for the arms race. The chief one, not the only ones. Italy has its share of responsibility as well. A smaller share, but not a negligible one.In absolute numbers, Italy's military expenditure in 1985 was the eighth of the world. As regards the number of men at arms, it is among the first fifteen countries. And the Italians are in the first six positions among the world exporters of armaments. The weight of the military sector on the whole of the Italian economy is still rather limited: The expenditure accounts for 2.7% of the gross domestic product; arms represent 2.7% of the wealth produced by the industry, and 2.3% of the exports. Moreover, the military threats to the security of Italy are less serious than those which many other international actors have to face - including many of our allies. Therefore

, Italy is in a situation that offers many opportunities to contain the expenditure, experiment conversions to civilian uses of the military productions, and promote a realistic security policy aimed to achieve the detente.

Unfortunately, these opportunities are dropped. In fact, there has been a tendency to expansion over the last decade which must be urgently stopped. As of the mid-seventies, Italy has become one of the major exporters of weapons systems, and its military expenditure exceeds the annual growth rates decided at the NATO level. That same period marks the rise of the supporters of a "new military role" for Italy in the Mediterranean. The "White Paper" presented by the Minister of Defence Spadolini in winter 84-85 summarizes and pinpoints these developments, obviously from the point of view of a person who supports them and hopes that they will continue. This book on the contrary highlights the doubts, the questions, the alternative proposals compared to what has been to this moment a monologue carried out by the establishment.

("ITALY AND THE ARMS RACE" - A counter-White Paper of defence - edited by Marco De Andreis and Paolo Miggiano - Preface by Roberto Cicciomessere - Franco Angeli Libri, 1987, Milan)

IRDISP-RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR DISARMAMENT DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

The Institute for Disarmament, development and peace (Irdisp) was established in 1981 on the initiative of Sergio Andreis, Roberto Cicciomessere, Adriano Cicconi, Angelo Panebianco and Francesco Rutello to fill the gap of scientific knowledge in the debate on the questions relative to the arms race and to disarmament.

The institute's activity developed in three directions:

development of its own researches, translation of researches carried out abroad but of particular relevance, supply of a service of specialist advice to the Radical Party.

In the beginning, the research activity concentrated on three subjects: the actual size of the Italian expenses for defence; the production and export of armaments; the analysis of the structure of the Italian and Nato armed forces in Italy. The findings of such researches are contained in a series of books and other publications. For the analysis of the defence budget, the institute created a computerized data base, updated starting from 1980. At present the Irdisp is completing a research on the possible alternatives to the nuclear defence of Italy, in cooperation with the Institute of international relations in Rome.

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AUTHORS

Enea CERQUETTI (Milan, 1938) is group chairman of the Communist Party in the Chamber Defence Commission. He is the author, among others, of "The Italian armed forces from 1945 to 1975" (Milan, 1975).

Marco CARNOVALE (Rome, 1959) is a student in Political Sciences at the Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, where he is preparing his "dissertation" for his Ph.D. He collaborates with the Institute of International Relations, (IAI), Rome.

Marco DE ANDREIS (Rome, 1955) is a researcher for the Iai in Rome, and a collaborator of the Irdisp. Author of "The arms of the Republic" (Milan, 1938), he frequently comments problem of security for "L'Unità".

Alessandro LIBERATI (Rome, 1961) graduated in Economics at the University of Rome. In particular he has analyzed the competitiveness of the Italian economy on the international market.

Mauro MARE' (Rome, 1959) studied Economics at the University of Rome. He concentrated mainly on studying the public intervention in the economy and wealth policies of the industrialized counties, on the subject of which he had published a series of articles.

Paolo MIGGIANO (Valvasone, 1953) is a researcher for Irdisp, Rome. He cooperates with the Iai and with the daily newspaper "Il Manifesto".

Francesco RUTELLI (Rome, 1954) is president of the radical parliamentary group and member of the Chamber Defence Commission. Conscientious objector, secretary of the Radical Party in 1981. Author of "For disarmament" (Milan, 1982).