Hard part is just beginning

John Kornblum

AICGS Trustee

John Kornblum is a senior counselor at the international law firm Noerr LLP and a former U.S. ambassador to Germany. He is a member of the AICGS Board of Trustees.

Chancellor Helmut Kohl was fond of recalling how, before choosing 3 October 1990 as the official date for German reunification, he first checked with the weather bureau. He wanted a sunny start for the new chapter of German history. The climatologists assured him that the first week of October was almost always sunny and warm.

In fact, on that day 30 years ago when East and West Germany were formally reunited, the weather in Germany was mixed. Some sun, some rain, some clouds. Maybe the perfect omen for the complicated future which awaited this reborn European power.

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This article was originally published by OMFIF on October 5, 2020.