Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Germany's Foreign Policy of Reconciliation: From Enmity to Amity (New International Relations of Europe)

Since World War II, Germany has confronted its own history to earn acceptance in the family of nations. Lily Gardner Feldman draws on the literature of religion, philosophy, social psychology, law and political science, and history to understand Germany's foreign policy with its moral and pragmatic motivations and to develop the concept of international reconciliation. Germany's Foreign Policy of Reconciliation traces Germany's path from enmity to amity by focusing on the behavior of individual leaders, governments, and non-governmental actors. The book demonstrates that, at least in the cases of France, Israel, Poland, and Czechoslovakia/the Czech Republic, Germany has gone far beyond banishing war with its former enemies; it has institutionalized active friendship. The German experience is now a model of its own, offering lessons for other cases of international reconciliation. Gardner Feldman concludes with an initial application of German reconciliation insights to the other principal post-World War II pariah, as Japan expands its relations with China and South Korea. Review A comprehensive account detailing the formulation and development of a central tenet of the Federal Republic of Germany's foreign policy. . . . It will be an essential reference for all students of postwar and postunification Germany, international relations, foreign policy, and conflict resolution.--German Politics & Society Even if it is difficult to transfer the different cultural, social, and political conditions of Europe to the Pacific, the author gives advice to learn from the German example because--consciously or unconsciously--reconciliation policy also serves the power of a to stabilize the state on the international arena and to increase--which in turn makes an active policy of reconciliation attractive for all States.--Perspectivia.net In her well-informed and wide-ranging study Lily Gardner Feldman explores [the] correlation of the pragmatic and moral driving forces of the German foreign policy of reconciliation from 1949 to 2009. . . .Feldman's study offers a new framework for a consistent interpretation of the history of German foreign policy.--European History Quarterly In this magisterial volume, Lily Gardner Feldman traces the development of German reconciliation policy in relation to France, Israel, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. . . . [The author] casts her net very wide in her explanation and draws some important comparative explanations. She rightly assigns central importance to the role of history, leadership, non-governmental institutions and governmental institutions, although these factors play out very differently in different contexts. One of the great strengths of this impressive study is the way in which the four-cases approach allows the author to track subtle changes over the decades.--International Affairs In this well-researched and fascinating book . . . Lily Gardner Feldman argues that political reconciliation represented 'the cornerstone, perhaps the very definition of German foreign policy after World War II.' [It] is inspired by several bodies of literature, and bridges the gap between the literature focusing on the foreign relations of the Federal Republic and the theological, philosophical, legal, social-psychological, and political and historical approaches to the study of reconciliation. . . . Feldman's discussion of the foreign policy of the Federal Republic between 1949 and 2009 is clear and persuasive, and the overall message of the book optimistic and inspiring. Feldman stresses the pivotal role of political leadership--highlighting the role played by 'friendship relations'--and of a 'shared vision' between the leaders of the two countries, often in the face of skeptical, if not openly hostile, public opinion. And while acknowledging the reticence often displayed by a large part of the German public, Feldman also stresses the significance of the role played by societal actors in