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BOOK REVIEWS 173 they must attach greater purposefulness to their studies of world politics. The second is a warning against complacency: just because the United States is a superpower, "that does not mean that (it) has a monopoly on intellectual power." In spite of its amusing discussions, Nixon's book is lacking in several areas. Absent in the book is any reflection on Nixon's years as Vice-President, a position he held for eight years. Such an account would have shed some light on Nixon's role in transforming and reshaping this position in government. Nixon also neglects to discuss the period in his life when he was a lawyer on Wall Street. A discussion ofhis thoughts on the legal professions and its relationship to politics would have been enlightening. Finally, Nixon does not detail his views on how a realist American foreign policy based on national interest can be reconciled with American idealistic concerns and growing domestic dissension over what constitutes the national interest. Apart from these considerations, Nixon's book is a valuable contribution to political literature. In the Arena, with its recollections of events, its treatment of characters and subjects, and its anecdotes, is clearly useful for any student of government and international relations. Restive Partners: Washington and Bonn Diverge. By W.R. Smyser. Boulder: Westview Press, 1990. 166pp. Reviewed by Andrew Denison, Ph.D. Candidate, SAIS. Great uncertainty abounds regarding the future of the German-American relationship. Relations between the United States and Germany have helped to shape this century, playing an essential role in the outcome of the two World Wars and in the armed order that managed to avoid a third. The two countries are now entering the most hopeful era of this century. It is also, however, reminiscent of the turbulent state of affairs that ushered in the twentieth century. Anxiety is thus understandable. By identifying the fundamentals of the German-American relationship over the past four and a half decades, in particular, how they have evolved in the 1980s, Smyser provides a detailed picture of the partnership as it existed at the onset of this era. He shows how significant changes moved the relationship to a new plane, even before 1989, and where continuity is likely to persist despite the enormous changes that have recently swept Eastern Europe. Although Restive Partners went to press as the Berlin Wall was opened—before anyone imagined that Germany unity would follow within a year—the book remains relevant. Smyser surveys the issues that have challenged the Bonn-Washington partnership over the past decade, dividing them along traditional military, political, and economic lines. Based on this, he offers insightful conclusions about the interests and orientations of both partners. Although he focuses on the troubles marring German-American relations through the 1980s, Smyser argues that the "forces that hold the two countries together are very strong." Early and 174 SAISREVIEW continuous American support for German unification and German insistence on remaining a member of NATO indicate the continued validity of this observation. Despite its underlying strength, this relationship is experiencing increasing difficulties. Smyser attributes these difficulties to "the growth of German power, the relative decline ofAmerican power, and the emergence ofthe new Europe and the new world." The present and future of German-American relations are best understood by "an appreciation of the exploding breadth of the relationship." From global economics to reconstructing the East, to non-regional issues, a constantly widening agenda offers the possibility both for greater cooperation and for greater conflict. During the Cold War, the commitments and dependencies arising out of the nuclear relationship between the two countries exacerbated the potential for conflict. An "extraordinary degree of mutual trust" was required, which prompted "ceaseless mutual scrutiny" in the search for reassurance. Smyser does not reflect on whether Europe's impending demilitarization will relax this strain. Concluding his study, Smyser recommends that balanced communication and understanding between the United States and Germany be facilitated through the institutionalization of increased high-level contact. Further, he asserts that principles necessary to guide the relationship should be the focus of such contact. Directing high-level attention towards the relationship is logical given the added weight that...

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