The Strategic Triangle

France is Germany's most important partner in the process of Europe integration. The United States was long Germany's protector but now is the power balancing Germany's in Europe. And the Franco-American relationship, though less prominent than the other two, has a great impact on both of them. Taking the perspective of each country by turns, this book discusses a series of economic and diplomatic episodes and asks how they affected the countries' relations with each other, with countries outside this triangle, and with international institutions such as the EU and NATO. It concentrates on the period 1965-95, examining the NATO crisis of 1966-67, the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, Ostpolitik, Detente, and the end of the Cold War. The book also discusses the origins of the triangle after the Second World War and devotes an epilogue to the triangle after 9/11. The Strategic Triangle is based on a conference held in Potsdam, Germany, and a workshop at the Woodrow Wilson Center.