It was a typical cold, autumn night. The time of year when Berliners start huddling indoors and preparing for a long winter. But on this night there was a buzz in the air – the streets alive with excitement and disbelief. Millions of people around the world stayed glued to their television sets to witness a decades long stand-off come to an end. All eyes were on Germany.
“I do remember the moment when I heard about it,” recalled former U.S. Ambassador to Germany and key diplomatic figure in the Cold War, John Kornblum. “I was in a car in Belgium and the driver spoke only French. He kept saying something about ‘the wall, the wall.’ I figured there must have been some incident at the Berlin Wall. So, we turned on the BBC and there it was. But, it wasn’t just an incident; it was the end.” And, it was the beginning of a new Germany. A soon reunified country that would no longer be dependent on the United States, but rather an important strategic partner for the U.S. and the economic engine of Europe. “It’s no longer about a bilateral relationship,” said Kornblum. “It has now expanded into global relations. In other words, Germany and America are now the two most important countries of the West in this new globalized world.” It is the new power balance in the world that leads some experts to believe the relationship between the United States and Germany, as well as the EU, will only get stronger. “Both sides have no alternative,” said German Foreign Ministry Senior Advisor on International Security Policy, Jürgen Schnappertz. “As the power of countries such as China and India rises, we must make our goals and values work together. The U.S. needs a strategic partner and that is Europe.”
Between the war in Afghanistan, strain with Iran and a global economic crisis, the United States and Germany have major international issues to tackle together in the coming years. With its recent acceptance as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Germany will be expected to take even more of a role as a leader of Europe and as a decision maker regarding global concerns. “Germany’s foreign policy is fully embedded in European foreign policy,” said Dr. Johannes Thimm, a North America expert for the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). Regarding foreign policy, the two countries are more in line now than they have been in the past ten years. President Obama pledged to reduce nuclear weapons, a goal of Germany’s Foreign Minister, and the U.S. has started working more closely with Russia. Due to its obvious geopolitical interests, Germany has long held the belief that Russia should become more integrated in the Western world. The change in course for Afghanistan also displays a more symbiotic mindset. “The combination of civil and military instruments is one of the key elements of European security policy,” said Mr. Schnappertz. “We now have a better working relationship.” With her historic speech before the U.S. Congress in 2009, Chancellor Merkel reconfirmed the importance of the relationship between the two countries, relating the significance U.S. support played in the success of a reunified Germany. But while acknowledging achievements, she also directly pointed out what could be the biggest strain on the relationship between the two countries: a foreign economic policy that deals with the financial crisis and is in the interests of both America and Europe. “To achieve prosperity and justice we must do all we can to prevent such a crisis in the future,” said Chancellor Merkel. “That also means not giving in to the temptation of protectionism.”
Germany’s unexpected success in bringing itself out of the crisis as the U.S. still flounders, has some experts rethinking America’s strategy. “Maybe there is something we can learn from the other,” comments Dr. Andreas Etges, a professor of North American Studies at Freie Universität in Berlin diplomaticly. “That is something that hasn’t happened in a long time.” American geopolitical think-tank Stratfor also believes Germany’s economy will only get stronger. “What is going to be very interesting to watch is in the 2-5 year time frame,” said Stratfor Senior Geopolitical Analyst Peter Zeihan. “We could see Germany turn its economic power into political power.” Zeihan also points out the possibility of the two countries growing in each other’s way. “As German interests continue to diverge from American interests and Germans become less shy in pursuing those interests, friendly relations might cool down a bit.” But, recent polls tell a different story. Germans view of America has significantly improved since 2003, when the controversy over the Iraq war was at its height and only 45% of Germans viewed the U.S. favorably. A poll in June of 2010 shows that number has climbed to 63%. Germany can also boast high approval ratings in the U.S. According to a Gallop Poll from February of 2010, 80% of Americans view Germany in a favorable light. We can also look toward cultural exchanges as a positive indicator of a developing relationship. The number of Germans studying abroad in the U.S. has steadily increased since the Bush Administration left office. More Americans are also finding Germany a good breeding ground for education. “We have now quite a number of American students coming to Berlin to live here and learn in our Department for North American Studies,” said Dr. Etges. “They think it is interesting to look at the United States from European eyes and German eyes.”
On the 20th anniversary of German reunification, President Obama reconfirmed the importance of the two countries’ common quest for freedom, prosperity and stability around the world. That message was reiterated three days later on German-American Day, the annual celebration in the U.S. that commemorates the first German settlers who came to America on October 6, 1683. “Germany has always been the center of America’s role in the world,” said Mr. Kornblum. “Now, German-American relations have expanded into cooperation on maintaining a global network.” Twenty-one years after he listened to the events at the Berlin Wall on a radio in Belgium, Mr. Kornblum, who helped organize Reagan’s famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate and has remained in Berlin since his tenure of Ambassador was over in 2001, gave a speech in New York entitled “The End of German-American Relations”. He hopes what will grow in its stead will be a partnership that is readily prepared to act within a changing, globalized world.////
Political broadcast journalist Jenny Hoff is currently working at the German Federal Foreign Office through a year-long fellowship with the Robert Bosch Stiftung’s Fellowship Program for Young American Leaders.
