ABSTRACT
The French and West Germans have developed different approaches to security policy. The underlying constants for these approaches compete, overlap, and converge. This chapter analyzes the dynamic interaction of these two paradigms and the significance of their interaction for the future of the Western Alliance. Since 1958, the key element of the French paradigm has been a concept of independence, which means many things for the French. Since the mid-1970s, elites in both countries have perceived a growing need to expand the cooperation between them on security policy. Germany, in turn, has been increasingly assertive concerning nuclear weapons modernization and doctrine. For the West Germans, the intermediate-range nuclear forces struggle validated the fundamental premise that European theater deterrence must be coupled to US strategic deterrence. Franco-German security cooperation has been expanded through a range of consultations, military exercises, and joint weapons acquisitions.
