The Greek saga has gnawed at the foundations of the eurozone and distressed European unity for quite some years now. One of the greatest risks it poses is in the further erosion it causes to Franco-German relations.

The European project was built along the Paris-Berlin axis from the start. France’s political and military might and the German economic miracle created an equilibrium of sorts. Together, the countries formed a twin engine that drove the European integration process. German reunification threw the relationship off-balance to some degree, and that bond has since continued to deteriorate. For starters, France does not have a patch on Germany when it comes to economic performance. Further, the eastward expansion of the European Union has put Berlin at the Union’s geographical heart, replacing Paris as Europe’s crossroads. The credit crisis and its many ramifications have definitively put Germany on the map (not always voluntarily) as Europe’s dominant power. It is almost regarded as a hegemon.   The Price of German Power