During the Gorbachev era naval arms control issues received renewed attention. The Soviet Union increased its demands to widen arms control negotiations to include the maritime area. This in turn initiated a new debate about the opportunities for and problems of naval arms control measures. As a contribution to this debate, SIPRI has explored naval arms control issues in and for Europe. Departing from the usual approach of analysing the subject in global terms or from a superpower perspective, this book examines naval arms control from a European viewpoint. The following questions serve as guidelines: What role might naval arms control have in the interests and perceptions of European states? What opportunities for and obstacles to naval arms control exist in Europe? Which security problems might be solved and which created by naval arms control measures? In Europe and Naval Arms Control in the Gorbachev Era these questions are addressed by experts from the European coastal states in the Norwegian, Baltic, and Mediterranean seas, as well as from the former Soviet Union and the United States. By examining contrasting naval interests and attitudes towards naval arms control the differing perceptions, desires, and possibilities for each region and country are made evident.