During World War ii, Allied scientists ran a feverish race against German physicists to be the first to develop a nuclear bomb. The Allies succeeded, disaster was averted, and Germany was defeated. Today, nuclear-armed France is opening its nuclear defense door to neighboring Germany.

In a meeting in Germany on September 10, French President Nicolas Sarkozy shocked German officials by offering them access to France’s nuclear defense system. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier declined the offer, with Steinmeier stating that Germany has no intention of becoming a nuclear power.

Still, with this offer, the door is wide open for Germany to begin acquiring nuclear weapons, a possibility that makes many history-conscious pundits ill at ease. The present German administration may not seem interested, but the nuclear option is now clear and present. A future administration may be much more interested in accepting the keys to the bomb—just in case.

As the world focuses on the Middle East, North Korea, and the 2008 American presidential race, the boiling cauldron in the heart of Europe is about to spill over onto the world for the third time in a century. To learn more about Germany’s history of war, and its future, read Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.