Merkel's German-American Relationship Since He Took Office

As two major powers of today,Germany and United States are both playing influential roles in the world.Germany,located in the center of Europe and with great comprehensive national strength,has always been the leader in the European Union;US,as the only superpower,has the final say on most international affairs.The relations between Germany and US remain one of the most significant bilateral relations in today's international community,which is worthy of intensive research.After WW?,Germany was split into East and West Germany,and the United States became its savior by supporting the post-war economic reconstruction,particularly through the aid during the Berlin blockade by the USSR which was deeply appreciated by Germany.The Germany-US relation of that period was actually one between protégé and protector,and Germany was considered the “ally and partner”by the US.However with the growth of German economy and power,as well as the threats it used to face being shrinking,Germany didn't need the US protection as it used to,and the Germany-US relation underwent competition,cooperation and conflicts.After Angela Merkel took the office in 2005,she turned to the Shared Value Diplomacy,and partially continued as well as modified Germany's policy towards the US and European integration.As other international relations,Germany-US relation is closely related to the international restructuring and power shifts.This thesis focuses on the background,content and cause of Germany's policy towards the US,and tries to analyze the characteristics and influential factors of this bilateral relation.