Britain: Douglas Hurd, the Great Mediator | European Journal

In 2010, Germany celebrated 20 years of Unification, and British Foreign Minister Douglas Hurd was a key figure in making it happen. He had his work cut out for him convincing then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that the British could not be the eternal nay-sayers.The Iron Lady was very worried that German re-unification would stoke the fires of German nationalism, and together with French President Francois Mitterrand she sought to hinder it. But Douglas Hurd and his staff held a different opinion. When Mitterrand decided to support the move, Thatcher was isolated, and Hurd was given the green light to represent Britain at the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany.