Footnotes as an expression of distrust? The United States and the NATO “Flanks” in the last two decades of the Cold War

This chapter explores the practice of “footnoting” of joint NATO documents by states such as Denmark and Greece as an expression of disagreement with nuclear policies within the Western defense community. Both Denmark and Greece had experienced a profound decline of trust in NATO's ability and willingness to protect their national interests. In addition, sociocultural and economic change, animosity toward the increasingly bellicose tone of the Reagan administration, and a politically convenient anti-Americanism both forced and allowed the Danish and Greek governments to issue dissenting footnotes to NATO communiqués, criticizing alliance policies. These footnotes therefore can be seen as manifestations of distrust that challenged the operation and harmony of NATO as an effective alliance, even if they could not thwart particular NATO decisions.