ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the impact of the revolution of 1989 on the development of German security policy. It analyses the evolution of German policy with respect to the Atlanticist/Europeanist debate and with regard to the new challenges prevailing in the East. Both the West European framework and the wider pan European setting received greater emphasis in governing circles. The process that ultimately led to the Maastricht Treaty on monetary and political union quickly made evident and underscored the traditional differences that existed about the form and nature of European union and about the relationship of Europe to the United States. Within North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a strengthened, more visible, and more distinct role for the alliance's European members was realized through the creation of the Rapid Reaction Corps. During the Cold War period, Germany's policy of pursuing European integration in a North Atlantic framework was successful in managing the country's security position within Europe.
