It was the Social Democrats, he recalls, who more or less invented Germany's Ostpolitik.

ECONOMIST: Gerhard Schr?der, serious in anticipation

SPD's tradition of Ostpolitik (the cold war opening to the east) prefers to make the case for human rights behind the scenes.

ECONOMIST: German foreign policy: The company she keeps | The

Ostpolitik has clearly produced significant gains for the FRG.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center for Security Policy | The Future of U.S.-Soviet Relations: Economic Relations and Human Rights