Franco-German relations. (Book Reviews).

Franco-German Relations. By ALISTAIR COLE. Edinburgh: Pearson 2001. Pp.178, biblio, index. [pounds sterling]14.99 (paper) ISBN 0-582-31997-8.

Recent international and European Union (EU) negotiations have highlighted crucial divergences between Germany and France and cast doubt on the long-term robustness of their privileged relations. Alistair Cole explores these questions in a well-researched and insightful study, which takes stock of this singular bilateral relationship over the last 50 years and illuminates its impact on European integration.

One of the most interesting aspects of this book is its careful description of the nature and the form of Franco-German relations. Cole defines the latter as a bilateral quasi-regime. Contacts between France and Germany are denser and more routine-based than elsewhere in the European Union, and epitomise the culture of compromise rooted in post-war reconciliation. However, this regime is frail and incomplete. It depends greatly upon the personal affinities and political convictions of a small set of high-ranking politicians. It is also exclusively intergovernmental. In fact, the lack of contacts between French and German MEPs is symptomatic of the continuing gap between their respective societies.

The book suggests a useful distinction between the effects of the Franco-German relationship on its two protagonists and its role in the broader integration process. Cole uses the topical cases of monetary policy and defence and security policy to show that, despite the enduring ...