Written in a lively and readable style by the world’s leading authority on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and US-European relations, Defense of the West is the history of a transatlantic security relationship that has endured for over seventy years.

This latest edition of a classic work looks at how developments inside NATO and European Union member states affect their ability to defend against external threats while preserving Western values, in the era of Trump and Brexit.

Sloan frankly addresses the failures and shortcomings of Western institutions and member states. But the book emphasizes the continuing importance of value-based transatlantic security cooperation as a vital element of the defense and foreign policies of NATO and EU member states.

At a time of heightened tension and political turmoil, at home and abroad, Stan Sloan’s lucid and far-sighted analysis is more necessary than ever.

Stanley R. Sloan is a Visiting Scholar in Political Science at Middlebury College, Vermont and a Senior Fellow in the Scowcroft Center at the Atlantic Council of the United States

'America's NATO allies are vital for her twenty first-century political and military goals. Sloan's comprehensive study provides rich history, international context, and astute perspectives with which to consider what NATO is today and how it may develop next - all necessary and timely for the US electorate and US President in NATO's sixth decade and beyond. This book will inform and stimulate your understanding of both a successful and challenged NATO alliance.'
Lawrence Chalmer, Former Director of the NATO Orientation Course and Professor Emeritus, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.

'For over thirty-five years Stan Sloan has used Harlan Cleveland's concept of the transatlantic bargain with great success in exploring NATO's history. With its emphasis on the problems of the twenty-first century this volume continues his quest. It marks him as the most important American authority in the field of NATO historiography. His book belongs on the shelf of every person interested in the future of the transatlantic relationship.'
Lawrence S. Kaplan, Director Emeritus, Lyman L. Lemnitzer Center for NATO and European Union Studies, Kent State University

'Few people understand NATO better than Stan Sloan. Defense of the West provides a uniquely authoritative account of the alliance's history and the many challenges it must address if it is going to continue to contribute to our collective security.'
Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London

'The book appears to be aimed at a student audience, as demonstrated by the "questions for discussion" at the end of each chapter, but its comprehensiveness makes it almost a NATO Handbook.'
Nato Review

'Stanley Sloan's book makes an important contribution to our understanding of NATO, and in doing so, can help us chart our way to its future development more coherently.'
Wing Commander Keith Dear, RAF Centre for Air Power Studies 2017

'Anyone who takes an interest in the future of the Alliance, Europe, and global security will find this book simultaneously thought-provoking and indispensable.'
Sten Rynning, Joint Force Quarterly

'One of the most delightful aspects of Defense of the West is its user-friendliness. Sloan provides important appendices, including the text of the North Atlantic Treaty (1949), on which NATO is founded, and the text of NATO's most recent Strategic Concept, the product of the 2010 Lisbon Summit. Sloan also provides discussion questions at the end of each chapter, making the text ideal for international relations or history seminars at the university level, reading groups, or personal study.'
Justin Dell, Nato Association of Canada

'This welcome reissue brings the history of the Atlantic Alliance up to date with the rise of China, Brexit and the election of President Trump. Any sceptic tempted to write off NATO should read this book to understand the enduring shared interests and values that stand behind the transatlantic bargain.'
Professor Sir David Omand GCB, Visiting Professor, King's College, London

'An impressive volume: it offers a well-informed, jargon-free history of NATO, as well as some almost philosophical reflections of a seasoned observer of the transatlantic community.'
NATO Review