U.S.-German Ties on the Mend

In the two years since German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's last visit to the White House, the transatlantic relationship has charted a rocky course.

Now, the Bush administration is sending a series of signals indicating that it once again considers Germany a friend and important ally. So, what's changed?

Things have come a long way since September 2002, when President Bush, still smarting from the German chancellor's refusal to participate in a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, declined to call Schröder and congratule him on re-election. These days, quite to the contrary, Bush is making a big show of his affection for Germany.

Several weeks ago, Wolfgang Ischinger, the German ambassador to the United States, was invited to attend Bush's speech at the National Defense University. Not only was Ischinger seated in the front row next to national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, but Bush thanked "his friend Wolfgang" for coming.

Then, during a trip to Washington a few days before Schröder's arrival, German Interior Minister Otto Schily (photo) was invited by U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft to spend the weekend at his log cabin in the Virginia woods. After the invasion of Iraq, Condoleezza Rice was famously quoted as saying that the US would "forgive the Russians, ignore the Germans, and punish the French". The idea of Ashcroft and Schily tromping around in the woods together is quite a departure from that sentiment.

But tensions between the two leaders have been ebbing for several months now. After a long period of complete silence, the two exchanged polite greetings at the 300th St. Petersburg birthday celebrations in May. Then in September, they met briefly in New York in conjunction with a United Nations meeting.

But whereas in New York the two chatted a bit in a hotel room, now the Chancellor will have a formal lunch with Bush at the White House. It's not a full state dinner, but it's a start. In truth, a series of considerations -- some political and some practical -- are bringing the two closer together.

Necessity the mother of invention

Both leaders stand to benefit politically from an improvement of transatlantic relations. Facing a tough re-election campaign, Bush has been accused by his opponent, Senator John Kerry, of alienating key U.S. allies. Making up with the Germans is the start in a series of measures aimed at neutralizing that argument.

Also, as the situation in Iraq drags on, Bush is looking for help from allies to cover the financial cost and provide day-to-day security. Schröder, who has said he won't stand in the way of a NATO deployment, but remains firm in his commitment not to send German troops, can help with both.

For Schröder, who recently stepped down as chairman of his social democratic party (SPD) and struggled for months with tough reform-driven domestic politics, refocusing his attention on international affairs allows him to buff up his image after a difficult year.

Common ground on a "greater middle east"

According to the Bush administration officials, the Germans are saying a lot of things Bush likes to hear. Among the most favorable are recent indications that Germany is ready and willing -- along with European partners -- to take on a greater role in reshaping the Middle East.

At world economic and NATO summit meetings in June, Bush will be launching his "Greater Middle East Initiative", an ambitious plan to reshape the middle east and bring peace and democracy to the region. At a recent security conference in Munich in February, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer (photo) presented his own plan for the middle east, proposing a free-trade zone and calling for the United States, NATO and the European Union to work together. Fischer's comments were warmly received by the White House.

In his speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations Thursday night, Schröder also said Germany was more willing to get involved. "It's clear to me that we have to work with our partners in the region itself to bring the necessary process of modernization, democratization and stability to this crisis area," he said. "We must not neglect a basic Middle East problem -- the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians -- and we must not allow this conflict to close off or interfere with other perspectives."

A common approach towards the Middle East might indeed bring peace, not jut to the troubled region, but also between Bush and Schröder.