What is this?
You are probably not aware of it, but you sound like an arse.
Back on topic which is quite interesting actually.
Washington did not try to prevent unification.
The US position regarding German unification was this:
The Germans right of self-determination has to be respected: “No one except the Germans could decide the fate of Germany” (Baker in a letter to the German Chancellor, Febr. 10. 1990
http://books.google.de/books?id=cn8G...age&q=&f=false )
It was actually James Baker who persuaded the British representatives during negotiations in the night of Sept. 11/12 1990 to give up attempts to delay the unification process.
The negotiations in the end led to the “Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany”, also called “2 plus 4 Agreement”: the two Germany’s plus the four former Allies (and winners) of WW II: Soviet Union, USA, UK, France.
This agreement formally put an end to WW2 and this form of agreement was chosen instead of a "peace treaty".
It is no coincidence that it was called “2 plus 4” agreement and not “4 plus 2” agreement.
The German unification changed the power balance in Europe and there were concerns not only by Britain and France but by many other European countries, in particular Poland, the Netherlands and Italy, who feared an overpowered Germany.
As a result of the treaty Germany regained full sovereignty. The Soviet troops were to leave Eastern Germany by 1994 and the “four powers” gave up their special status towards Germany.
In return, Germany is not allowed to have more than 370.000 armed forces personnel (which meant that Germany had to reduce its combined armed forces strength which was at about 500.000), no foreign armed forces are allowed in Eastern Germany, Germany has to be an ABC-Weapon-Free-Zone and finally Germany once and for all accepts the German-Polish borderline and is prevented from making future claims to former German territory east of the German-Polish border.
Sounds like a fair deal to me.
It is hard to believe that this has happened just 20 years ago.