stability, Germany has had to deal with a very high unemployment rate. Nonetheless, this article analyzed Germany from an international perspective and provided insight into the manner in which Germany is perceived by other nations and international organizations.

The article is fairly accurate but fails to analyze some of the more interesting aspects of Germany. For instance, the article states that Germany is the most economically powerful country in the European Union? Even more so than England and France. This is particularly interesting because Kopstein and Lichbach’s textbook, Comparative Politics, describes the growth of middle developers by stating, “[these] countries all got a late start in economic development and… the state played a much larger role in fostering their development (Kopstein p.11).” Thus while France, Britain and many other early developers are generally looked upon favorably by the western world, they often are not the most economically successful. Additionally, Kopstein’s book reads, “the main [German political] parties advocate even greater economic free trade and are willing to compensate for the losers under this policy…Even during the late 1990’s the major political parties remained strongly of continued economic integration (Kopstein p.156).” While the article looks at Germany from a broader perspective it does not discuss political parties and the influence the Grand Coalition has. This is an atrocious oversight by the authors because an accurate analysis of whether or not Germany will provide a bail out to other nations would have to look at who’s leading Germany and their economic policies. While the article has some positive qualities to it, it does not give sufficient information to allow the reader to have an accurate understanding of the depth of the situation.

“Europe’s Reluctant Paymaster” was published by the Economist, an internationally respected publication. It is well known, however, that the Economist has an often conservative point of view. For example, the article seems to argue against the idea of a common European bond to such a degree that it suggests utilizing an IMF-style facility for lending (“Europe’s Reluctant Paymaster). A promotion of this kind reveals a definite degree of bias. Nonetheless, the Economist gives an accurate portrayal of the European Union and Germany’s involvement in it. While the textbooks are useful for analyzing both Germany on a domestic level and the way the European Union has affected Germany, the article is important because it shows how Germany is affecting all of Europe.