ABSTRACT
The "German Problem" has changed for America, as well as for others. The Germans have advanced from being a pawn in the East-West chessboard to being a principal player in all the things that matter, be they military, economic, or diplomatic. Europe, in the future as in the past, is the most important area for future German-American collaboration, and also the area with the greatest potential for disagreement. The West Germans see a revived and renewed Europe, East and West, and they see opportunities to establish Central European relations that can mitigate the effects of their division. The compact of the 1940s and 1950s was that Germany would give up unity, and the United States (US) would give up isolation. It was the only way German and American statesmen saw to keep a part of Germany free and to keep the US in Europe. Beyond Europe lie broader questions regarding the shaping of the global system and international society.
