Margaret Thatcher feared and openly opposed the reunification of East and West Germany. Francois Mitterrand was said to have shared her worries, though he accepted it was inevitable. Yet despite the reservations of the British, French, and Italian leaders in 1990, a new country came into being 30 years ago on October 3rd, and questions arose how to deal with the reluctant hegemon at the heart of Europe and how Germany should lead without dominating.
Thirty years on, German reunification has been the most successful geopolitical experiment in history. With just three chancellors in three decades, the new, liberated Germany has been steady and pragmatic; championed, for instance, the expansion of the European Union and the creation of the Euro.
However, under its next chancellors, Germany needs more ambition. This need is most acute when it comes to security; but traditionally, this is a very touchy issue for almost all political parties. More importantly, Germany has been too cautious in its policy towards Russia and China, tending to put commercial interests ahead of geopolitical ones.
Still, there are signs of a shift: Merkel increasingly accepts Emmanuel Macron's argument that America is becoming an uncertain ally, and that Europe will have to do more to help itself. This does not yet add up to a more assertive Germany leading a more assertive Europe, but it establishes the beginning of such a development.
More of this will be needed in the next 30 years if the European Union is to survive. But the Bundesrepublik is growing up.
Jan Mueller
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