Word: germanic
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...motives may be, Kohl happens to be right in what he recommends. Tactical nuclear weapons have never made sense, especially concentrated in West Germany, the putative battlefield where World War III would begin. If American tactical missiles were ever fired in anger, they would raise mushroom clouds over German territory and probably kill more local civilians than foreign invaders. If, on the other hand, the missiles were not fired, they would become irresistible targets for devastating pre-emptive strikes by the enemy. Hence the bitter saying in Bonn, "The shorter the range, the deader the German...
...protect, are good for even less. In fact, these weapons are good for nothing except as bargaining leverage to remove similar Soviet missiles in Eastern Europe. Thus the current furor is surprising only in that it took so long, and so much pressure from the left, for a West German Chancellor to adopt Kohl's present position...
...refusal to begin negotiations with the Soviets on reducing short-range nuclear weapons in Europe. West Germany, where most of the 88 U.S. Lance missile launchers are situated -- and where many of the missiles would explode in wartime -- has virtually demanded that the U.S. begin "early" negotiations. The Germans have enough support to force a serious split within NATO if the U.S. continues to say no. Britain, the Netherlands and Turkey support the U.S., while Bonn has the backing of Italy, Greece and most of the other continental European countries; others, including Norway and Canada, are trying to broker...
...adviser on arms control who had just retired from the Government, told the New York Times that the U.S. demand for modernization of Lance missiles, together with the refusal to negotiate on short-range weapons, was "politically impossible for much of Europe." He added, "I cannot think of a German who would agree to that. Many of the allies think it is a crazy proposition." Nitze pointed out that NATO could benefit from successful talks because the Soviets have 1,600 short-range missile warheads in Europe...
...President and his advisers say they are annoyed because only a month earlier, Kohl won a grudging U.S. agreement to put off a decision on Lance modernization until after the West German elections in 1990. But the Chancellor's popularity at home has sagged recently, and his center-right coalition is threatened by discontent over widely criticized tax and health reforms. In an almost desperate attempt to regain ground, he has adopted the negotiate-now attitude of the Social Democratic opposition and of his coalition partner, Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher. When Kohl sent two ministers to Washington to explain...