Rempel traces pivotal events in the development of the bilateral relationship between Canada and West Germany, from Canada's policy on the admission of West Germany into NATO in 1954-55, through Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's 1969 decision to reduce Canada's forces in Europe by half, to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's 1992 decision to withdraw Canadian military forces from Europe entirely. He looks at the development of the missions and functions of the Canadian forces in Germany and assesses why Canada has failed in its efforts to integrate the political, economic, and military dimensions of its foreign policy. Counterweights highlights the profound implications of Canada's failure to develop a coordinated defence policy to support its international objectives in its present-day relations with both Europe and the United States.