ABSTRACT
Modem Germany conveys a benign image to much of the international system. However, the spasms of German power between 1890 and 1945 ended in disaster for Germany, and there is no wish to pose, or be perceived to pose, challenges to the European international order such as occurred in the first half of the twentieth century. But the reality is that Germany has entered a new era, and the unified country has started from a relatively advantageous position. For Germany this is a unique and extremely advantageous position; how long it can continue is a question of genuine concern. National interest is now a feature of German foreign policy, albeit politically incorrect for any German political leader to admit. Multilateralism is attractive to Germany because, in the Cold War era, it was a policy which kept difficult choices at a great distance and eschewed the necessity to decide national policy.
