Strategic Dilemmas and the Evolution of German Foreign Policy since Unification

(Hardback)

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This volume examines continuity and change in German foreign policy in the decade since unification. Between 1949 and 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany pursued one of the most consistent foreign policy patterns of any Western power. Restrictions on an assertive German military posture became deeply rooted in the public psyche, in foreign policy tradition, and in the Basic Law. However, the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the unification of Germany have fundamentally changed the international and domestic parameters of German foreign policy. A review of contemporary developments shows that a dramatic evolution of German foreign policy is currently underway - from "checkbook diplomacy" in the Gulf War to the humanitarian relief mission in the Horn of Africa, and from Contact Group diplomacy to airstrikes in Kosovo.

Reviews

[t]his book is worth reading....[h]elps to explain Germany's reluctance to join the invading coalition and its willingness actively to oppose, for the first time, a major foreign policy decision of the United States.-Political Science Quarterly
There seems little doubt that the study of German foreign policy will be a growth industry for some time to come.-International History Review
"this book is worth reading....helps to explain Germany's reluctance to join the invading coalition and its willingness actively to oppose, for the first time, a major foreign policy decision of the United States."-Political Science Quarterly
"There seems little doubt that the study of German foreign policy will be a growth industry for some time to come."-International History Review
"[t]his book is worth reading....[h]elps to explain Germany's reluctance to join the invading coalition and its willingness actively to oppose, for the first time, a major foreign policy decision of the United States."-Political Science Quarterly

Author Bio

JEFFREY S. LANTIS is Chair of the International Relations Program and Associate Professor of Political Science at The College of Wooster.