This thesis argues that German unification in October 1990, the Soviet Empire's disintegration in 1991, and the end of the Cold War had profound implications for the conduct of Germany's foreign and security policy behaviour. Its aim is to compare and contrast German foreign policy towards Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic) and Poland between 1990 and 1998. Germany's foreign policy towards both states was guided by three crucial components; political reconciliation, economic, and security interests. By discussing the interplay between agential and structural sources of Germany's foreign and security policy behaviour, this thesis provides an exhaustive description of how German influence manifested itself in these states, and how it was channelled and constrained. Germany's foreign and security policy behaviour towards both states helps to explain three problems: the manifold implications of Germany's return to the European Mittellage (centre); Germany's ability to manage complex bilateral relationships despite being burdened by history, and the multi-level nature of its foreign and security policy apparatus
