Will This Decade Be More Grim Than the 1930s? The problem, from
its neighbors' point of view, with a unified Germany is that its
increased relative economic might and strategic importance casts
a giant shadow across Europe, relatively diminishing the global
status and economic competitiveness of all other European
countries. The issue from a German perspective is that a unified
Germany has enormous latent potential simply waiting to be
unleashed to increase the gap between what the Fatherland sees
as its rightful place and the rest of Europe. In Imperial times,
this conflict was expressed in terms of territorial ambitions,
nationalistic fervor and military strength. WW I and WW II were
the ultimate results of the failure to dress this in any form
other than military combat. British historian Alan John
Percivale Taylor explained this better than anyone to my
generation. Hopefully, we learned the diplomatic lessons and
other than local conflicts (notwithstanding that some of which
have seen appalling losses of