ABSTRACT
From the perspective of the 1990s, the numerous examples of Franco-German military cooperation from 1950 to 1989 that seemed so important at the time suddenly seem anachronistic. The first factor making Franco-German cooperation more challenging than in the past is the disappearance of the ideological and military threat from the Soviet Union. Second, the challenge to Franco-German security cooperation will henceforth be greater because Europe's guarantor during the Cold War years, the United States, is unlikely to be willing or able to play the "protectorate" role that prevailed in what might be called the Pax Americana. Third, the Franco-German security partnership has become more difficult than in the past because German unification threw off a fundamental balance that contributed to the rapprochement of Germany and France. For many of the Western allies, the absence of a Franco-German role in the Gulf War was not a disappointment but in fact was rather welcome.
