George H.W. Bush viewed Germany as friend and partner, says ex-World Bank boss
The former US president supported German unification when others would not. He did so because he believed German democracy had succeeded, Bush’s point man for German unification, Robert Zoellick, told DW
Deutsche Welle: You worked closely for and with President George H.W. Bush. Can you share a personal anecdote that sums up the person he was?
Robert Zoellick: Referring to the difference to the current era, he was very much a man of honor and service while also being a very fierce competitor, both politically and in terms of America’s international role. I would sum him up as a consummate alliance manager.
Particularly important for Germany [was that] Bush took office when [Soviet President Mikhail] Gorbachev was the phenomenon. Part of Bush’s challenge was to solidify the alliance given the ice-breaking at the end of the Cold War. Many people forget that by May of 1989, only a few months after he took office, he come forward with a rather bold proposal to cut and equalize conventional armies in Europe.