The Nation: The Pros and Cons of NATO Troop Withdrawal

ALTHOUGH the distinctions tend to fade in the heat of debate, the battle over the Mansfield amendment is being waged on three fronts—military, economic and political. According to both opponents and proponents, there is much more at stake than just the withdrawal of half of the 300,000 troops that the U.S. maintains in Western Europe. Some of the more telling arguments on both sides:

The heart of Mansfield's case is the huge cost—$14 billion annually—of the country's NATO commitments and its deleterious effect upon the U.S. balance of payments and the stability of the...