The United States, Germany and France: Balancing Transatlantic Relations
| Author | Dieter Mahncke |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-856x.2008.00356.x |
| Published date | 01 February 2009 |
| Date | 01 February 2009 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
The United States, Germany and France:
Balancing Transatlantic Relations
Dieter Mahncke
Relations between the United States, France and Germany significantly determine the content and
structure of the broader transatlantic relationship. Relations improved after the changes of gov-
ernment in Germany in 2005 and France in 2007, and they can be expected to improve further after
the change of administration in the United States in 2009. Washington is likely to pay more
attention to its European allies while these may become more involved in issues beyond Europe’s
borders. Sharing leadership will be the challenge for the United States, while bringing more
intellectual and material input will be the challenge for the Europeans. At the same time, France
and Germany will develop and maintain independent views. But if partnership is the aim on both
sides of the Atlantic, a more promising relationship can be expected even where differences exist.
Keywords: France; Germany; United States; transatlantic relations
In many ways relations between the United States, France and Germany determine
the content and structure of the broader transatlantic relationship. They represent
three of the four decisive players. Britain is the fourth, but it has set itself apart by
its special relationship with the United States on the one hand, and its distanced
attitude to ‘Europe’ on the other, and hence perhaps paradoxically tends to play
more of a marginal role in shaping the overall transatlantic relationship.1
To present a picture of the transatlantic relationship taking three major players into
consideration implies three sets of bilateral relationships plus something that might
be called a ‘semi-bilateral’ or ‘quasi-multilateral’ relationship, that is to say the
relationship that France and Germany working together represent to the United
States. Hence, in assessing these relationships and their effects on transatlantic
relations, that is the relationship between ‘the Americans’ and ‘the Europeans’, it is
necessary to look not only at US views on Germany and France and German and
French views on relations with the United States but also at the relationship
between France and Germany. The latter palpably has effectson their relations with
the United States, particularly in view of recent domestic (and foreign policy)
changes in France and the United States. Also, Germany and France have to be seen
in their role as major actors in the European Union. Thus, German–American and
French–American relations will be analysed first before looking at the Franco–
German relationship in the framework of the EU and concluding with an overall
assessment of the transatlantic relationship.
Such an analysis seems pertinent since all of the above components of the trans-
atlantic relationship have undergone significant changes in the past few years.
Most important of these are the changes in government: from Schröder to Merkel
The British Journal of
Politics and International Relations
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-856x.2008.00356.x BJPIR: 2009 VOL 11, 79–93
© 2008 The Author.Journal compilation © 2008 Political Studies Association
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