The NSA scandal should be seen a catalyst rather than a cause of the current crisis in relations between Germany and the United States. The rift has much deeper roots that go back to the end of Cold War. In the 15 years since 9/11, Germans have become increasingly skeptical of U.S. ideas on strategy and economics. Many have sought to explain the increasingly negative perception of the United States in Germany in generational terms. Yet the real difference between then and now is not so much the existence or level of anti-Americanism, but the strategic situation in which Germany finds itself. The case for a close relationship with the United States is now more complicated, and much harder to make, than it was during the Cold War. Germany, which defines itself as a Friedensmacht, or force for peace, is now much less likely than in the past to accede to U.S. demands or succumb to U.S. pressure.
