ABSTRACT
Many politicians believe that united Germany is in a position to take a more assertive stance in world affairs than was possible in the Cold War era, when the foreign policies of the two truncated states, which made up the former divided Germany, were largely occupied by the contest of political and security issues that the two great alliance systems North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact played out on their soil. After the Second World War, West Germany placed its faith in NATO in the field of military security, and firmly rooted its economy in the European Community. German statesmen continued to assert that the state’s external policies would be expressed through and in line with the collective policies of international institutions, a move in part meant to reassure those concerned about a Germany of increasing power and influence. At the same time Germany is not without influence in governing the direction taken by those institutions, since its restored sovereignty, its vigorous economy, and its crucial geographic position all conspire to give it an influential voice. Indeed, some observers criticize Germany for continuing to take a relatively low profile in international politics, particularly in the area of peace-keeping operations, though it must be remembered that others are already uneasy over the level of assertiveness Germany has chosen to exercise in the international arena.
