Trans-Atlantic Relations Shift: France and Germany Mend Fences with the US

Strategic Insights -

The trans-Atlantic rift that began to form over the Iraq war has started to heal as France and Germany have signed an American-sponsored Security Council resolution on Iraq. This move marks a significant shift in the relations between the two European nations and the United States, with both sides seemingly seeking to move towards a more balanced and moderate approach. According to Dietrich von Kyaw, a former German ambassador to the European Union, the more cooperative attitude in Germany was in part a response to the modest move towards multilateralism shown by the Bush administration. The unanimous Security Council resolution has given a bit of vindication to both sides in the great Iraq war debate, with the Europeans able to say that the Bush administration's move towards multilateralism is an indirect way of saying that Europe was right, that going it alone on Iraq would not work.

Key Takeaways:

  • The unanimous Security Council resolution has marked a significant shift in the relations between France, Germany, and the United States, with both sides seeking to move towards a more balanced and moderate approach.
  • The German government's more cooperative attitude was in part a response to the modest move towards multilateralism shown by the Bush administration, according to Dietrich von Kyaw, a former German ambassador to the European Union.
  • The Europeans can say that the Bush administration's move towards multilateralism is an indirect way of saying that Europe was right, that going it alone on Iraq would not work.
  • The American administration's newly discovered multilateralism is a defeat for the members of the unilateralist, pro-Iraq-war faction in Washington, according to The German Financial Times.
  • President Jacques Chirac and President Bush made a great show of cordiality at the recent D-Day anniversary celebrations and in Mr. Bush's stay in Paris.
  • Mr. Chirac and Mr. Schroder accepted the overall Security Council package, but will continue to oppose the Americans on key details, such as the use of NATO troops in Iraq.
  • Neither Germany nor France sees any advantage in perpetuating the animosities and tensions of the recent past, and both leaders are now more conciliatory towards the US.

Statistics:

  • The unanimous Security Council resolution was passed with a 15-0 vote.
  • 100% of the Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution.
  • The resolution has given international legitimacy to the US-led coalition in Iraq.

Sources:

  • The German Financial Times
  • Dietrich von Kyaw, a former German ambassador to the European Union
  • Francois Heisbourg, the director of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris
  • Andreas Falke, a foreign policy analyst at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
  • The New York Times
  • Reuters