Germany and the USA - A Relationship in Transition.

Germany's foreign policy has always been observed critically not only by its neighbours but in particular by its long time most important ally, the United States. With the end of the Cold War, German unification, and its accession to full sovereignty, suspicion as to its future course was to be expected. Whether it should remain a "civilian power" as some hoped, or behave according to its new status as a great power as others had predicted was unclear. The war against Iraq has been interpreted as a turning point in that specific bilateral relationship if not partnership. The specific issue to be analyzed in greater detail is how and why it has been changing. What role do institutional factors play,how relevant is public opinion, and to what extent do personalities determine the bilateral relationship? These are but three classes of factors to be analyzed both from a theoretical perspective and empirically. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]