Description: Throughout the postwar era a special relationship between France and Germany has often been the catalyst for European integration. However, the Soviet collapse has presented them with a new agenda of problems. German unification has had disruptive economic consequences. Central European states are clamoring to join the European Union, posing a formidable challenge to its practical cohesion and economic resources. The Franco-German response has been to "deepen" the EU, while proceeding slowly on enlarging to the east. The partners have pursued their monetary goal with extraordinary fortitude and most observers believe they will achieve it in 1999. However, opinion is deeply divided over the wisdom or sustainability of such a course.

This book explores how these issues are understood by French and German elites who have generated the current policies and are carrying them out. The essays -- by French, German, and American authors -- analyze the broad diplomatic, security, and economic dimensions of the bilateral relationship.

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