Beyond the Wall: Germany's Road to Unification

This is a comprehensive account of events leading to and including the unification of Germany in 1990 and its immediate aftermath, as well as an informed speculative look into the future of a German-led Europe. Pond, a former correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor , confirms that Washington supported unification early and reveals the crucial U.S. role in reversing British and French opposition. The most vexing problem the Germans are dealing with, according to Pond, is Ver gang en heits be walt i gung or ``mastering the past,'' which manifests itself in the dilemma over whether to punish or integrate those who collaborated with the East German regime of Erich Honecker. Though it is clear that Washington's assistance to the new Germany will be minimal, the author urges the U.S. to help the country to stabilize Poland, the Czech and Slovak republics and Hungary and to take the lead in knitting them into Europe proper. In our shrinking world, she concludes, policy differences with allies such as Germany have become ``virtually domestic debates.'' This is the best analysis to date of the unification of the two Germanys. (June)