相对平等的伙伴——新东方政策时期的德美关系

The Relatively Equal Partnership——The German-American Relations in the Ostpolitic Period

新东方政策时期是德美关系史上一个承前启后的重要时期。新东方政策的成功扩大了西德的行动自由。同时,到60年代末,西德经济实力已跃居资本主义世界第二位。相反,进入70年代后,美国经济持续衰退,在国际上的实力地位相对下降。德美关系进入了相对平等的伙伴关系时期,西德不再被迫毫无批判地采取美国人的任何立场。决定和影响这一时期德美关系发展变化的主要是以下三种因素:国际形势、国家利益和实力对比。

Serving as a link between past and future, the Ostpolitik period is an important one in the history of GermanAmerican relations. The success of the Ostpolitik widened West Germany's freedom of action, at the same time, by the end of 1960's, West Germany's economy had leapt to the second place in the capitalist world. On the contrary, since 1970's American economy declined continually, its power status in international arena descended relatively. Thus,Bonn became a relatively equal partner of Washington,West Germany was not any more forced to take whatever stand of America's without criticism. The factors deciding and influencing the development and changes of GermanAmerican relations of the period were as follow:the international situation national interest and the contrast of national strength.