America, Germany, and the future of Europe /
Treverton, Gregory F.
Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press,
©1992.
This book argues that Germany is, and will remain, Europe's center, both literally and figuratively. It is where the Cold War period began and ended, where the postwar order, originally ratified by Germany's division between East and West, collapsed with the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Treverton reviews the significant episodes in Europe's history after World War II: the division of Germany through halting, half-inadvertent steps; the reconstruction of Europe through the Marshall Plan; the creation of NATO and the decision to station American troops in large numbers in Europe; and the epochmaking French bet, the Schuman Plan, and the beginning of European integration. Throughout, he emphasizes America's preoccupation with Europe and the decisive effect of U.S. foreign policy on European security and economic arrangements during the postwar years. Although Europe's future is uncertain, Treverton maintains it should be happier than the frozen stability of the Cold War. There will be a place for America in this future Europe, but it will be a far less prominent place. Provocative analogies for the new Europe are suggested by older Europes - either the one that followed the Concert of Europe of 1815, the first German unification in 1871, or the peace of Versailles in 1919. What is striking now, though, apart from the continuing fact of nuclear weapons, is that Germany, a defeated object of partition then, is unified and fulfilled now. Moreover, the kind of interdependence reflected in the European Community suggests a future in which military issues will recede in importance. The Community, with a pan-European organization like the Conference on Security and Cooperation (CSCE), can serve as a framework for security, while NATO may remain, during a long interim, as insurance against new threats from the East and as reassurance for Germany and its neighbors. Anyone interested in the emerging economic and political situation will find this a wide-ranging and perceptive analysis of the relationship of Germany to its European and transatlantic allies.
"A Council on Foreign Relations book."
Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-230) and index.
This book argues that Germany is, and will remain, Europe's center, both literally and figuratively. It is where the Cold War period began and ended, where the postwar order, originally ratified by Germany's division between East and West, collapsed with the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Treverton reviews the significant episodes in Europe's history after World War II: the division of Germany through halting, half-inadvertent steps; the reconstruction of Europe through the Marshall Plan; the creation of NATO and the decision to station American troops in large numbers in Europe; and the epochmaking French bet, the Schuman Plan, and the beginning of European integration. Throughout, he emphasizes America's preoccupation with Europe and the decisive effect of U.S. foreign policy on European security and economic arrangements during the postwar years. Although Europe's future is uncertain, Treverton maintains it should be happier than the frozen stability of the Cold War. There will be a place for America in this future Europe, but it will be a far less prominent place. Provocative analogies for the new Europe are suggested by older Europes - either the one that followed the Concert of Europe of 1815, the first German unification in 1871, or the peace of Versailles in 1919. What is striking now, though, apart from the continuing fact of nuclear weapons, is that Germany, a defeated object of partition then, is unified and fulfilled now. Moreover, the kind of interdependence reflected in the European Community suggests a future in which military issues will recede in importance. The Community, with a pan-European organization like the Conference on Security and Cooperation (CSCE), can serve as a framework for security, while NATO may remain, during a long interim, as insurance against new threats from the East and as reassurance for Germany and its neighbors. Anyone interested in the emerging economic and political situation will find this a wide-ranging and perceptive analysis of the relationship of Germany to its European and transatlantic allies.
Ch. 1. Dividing Germany -- Ch. 2. Creating Dependence -- Ch. 3. Integrating Germany, Engaging America -- Ch. 4. Economics and Security -- Ch. 5. Moscow's German Problem -- Ch. 6. Europe's Past, Europe's Future -- Ch. 7. A European Germany or a German Europe?