The European Parliament, the National Parliaments, and European Integration

Book Description

European integration is progressing at an even more rapid rate. Accompanying this progress is an increasing debate about the institutional shape and legitimacy of this new political order. This debate is driven in part by conflicting values, and in part by uncertainty. This book addresses the question of parliamentary involvement in the emerging European political system by looking at both national and European levels of parliamentary representation. In doing this, it gives greater attention to the role of national parliaments than is usual in discussions about democracy in the European Union. Based on interviews and surveys among members of parliament at the European level, and in eleven member states, it analyses the role of parliaments and parliamentarians, the linkages between national citizenry and the European level, and the problems and perspectives of institutional change. The book is provides analyses of the views from within concerning European integration and concentrates of three dimensions: the MPs themselves; their embeddedness in the process; and their perspectives on institutional structures. These views from within offer new insights and answers to institutional problems in the European Union and the so-called democratic deficit.

The Constitution of Europe: 'Do the New Clothes Have an Emperor?' and Other Essays on European Integration

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European integration, as a process, an ideal and a reality everybody has to deal with...

The Constitution of Europe: 'Do the New Clothes Have an Emperor?' and Other Essays on European Integration
J. H. H. Weiler
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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European Constitutionalism beyond the State

ASIN: 0521585678

Book Description

In a series of highly accessible discussions concerning the legal framework of the European Communities and the European Union, Joseph Weiler describes the gradual strengthening of transnational European institutions at the expense of national legislators. The Constitution of Europe thus provides from a legal perspective a balanced and uniquely authoritative critique of the attractions and demerits of the goal of European integration.

Customer Reviews:

European integration, as a process, an ideal and a reality everybody has to deal with..........2005-10-12

"The Constitution of Europe: "Do the New Clothes Have an Emperor? and other essays on European Integration" is an excellent book that I borrowed from a nearby library by chance. Truth to be told, I plan to buy this book even though I have already read it, due to the fact that it is the kind of book you just want to have. This book includes several essays and articles written by J. H. H. Weiler on European integration, from different points of view. That variety can be seen simply by reading the titles of some of the essays in this book, for example "The transformation of Europe", "Introduction: the reformation of European constitutionalism", "European democracy and its critics: polity and system" and "To be an European citizen: Eros and civilization".

Those essays were written by the author during a period of 10 years, and were finally revised, updated (when it was necessary) and compiled in this book, released in 1999. According to Weiler, he considered rewriting all these essays into a monograph, but settled on keeping their format in order to allow the reader to choose exactly what he wanted to read, according to his interests and available time. In Weiler's own words, "I expect that no one will read all the essays and articles in this book- not even my own doctoral students. But I do hope that many more will read some of its essays and articles that would be the case if this were a scholarly monograph of equal size".

I specially liked the fact that every chapter (that is, each individual essay) can be read as a standalone, because I think that allows everybody to choose exactly where to begin reading this book, and gives the opportunity of not reading something if the theme isn't particularly appealing. Despite that, if you start this book because you are interested in one particular chapter, it is highly likely you will end up reading at least some of the others, as the writer's engaging writing style will tempt you to go on reading. Also, and from the point of view of a non-native English speaker (my case), it is a pleasure to read something that is so well-written...

All in all I can say that all these essays and articles are highly interesting, and allow the reader to learn something more about European integration, as a process, an ideal and a reality everybody has to deal with. In my opinion, this book somehow manages to tackle quite well both the structure and ends of European Integration, and that is no easy task. Whether you are a student or someone who is just interested in the subject, I recommend this book as great reading material that allows you to read exactly what you find interesting and at your own pace.

Belen Alcat

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The State

Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0415154774

Book Description

The idea of `the state' has been at the center of historical and political debates in Britain and the US in recent years. The State offers a comprehensive study of the whole process of state-building over the last two centuries and examines the role the nation state has played as the basic political unit in Europe and throughout the world.

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The State tackles the problems of defining and studying the state and the role the nation state has played as the basic political unit in Europe and throughout the world.

Average customer rating:

Well researched and thorough, but not a great book.

Yeltsin's Russia: Myths and Reality
Liliia Fedorovna Shevtsova
Manufacturer: Brookings Inst
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Putin's Russia (Revised Edition)
Russian Politics: Challenges of Democratization
The Rebirth of Politics in Russia
Putin: Russia's Choice
Building Capitalism: The Transformation of the Former Soviet Bloc

ASIN: 0870031279

Book Description

In this comprehensive assessment of what has happened in Russia since 1991—what has been accomplished and what so has so far failed—the author argues that the new situation in Russia cannot be defined simply in terms of either authoritarianism or liberal democracy. The reality is more complicated—a heterogeneous patchwork of despotism, liberalism, populism, paternalism, and democracy all coexisting. Russia's political life is marked by plurality of views and actors. Opposition movements are proliferating. On the economic front, Russia crossed the threshold to a market economy. Strides have been made in providing guarantees for individual liberties. Russians turn out to vote, for instance, in numbers that put US voters to shame. These advances are impressive. Yet Russia is still struggling desperately to evolve from its Soviet past. New conflicts emerged that are now beginning to act as a brake on reform. The basic problems of state-building have yet to be resolved: defining the nation in an ethnically mixed population, building consensus on power-sharing among federal power and regional leaders, creating a meaningful post-superpower international role.

Shevtsova analyzes the major issues of Russian development: the behavior of major interest groups, the emergence of new oligarchic clans, the clashes of branches of power and what is behind them, the real causes of Chechen war, the interaction of stability and instability. She scrutinizes the major political personalities who have had and continue to have an impact on Russian developments--Gaidar, Rutzkoi, Kchasbulatov, Chernomyrdin, Chubais. The main focus is on Yeltsin, who has managed stunning political transformations--from communist to populist, to liberal, democrat, and statist. Over and over, he has regained preeminence at the very moment when even his own supporters had virtually written him off. Much will depend on the manner, character, and timing of his departure from the political scene--as well as on the legacy he leaves behind.

Customer Reviews:

Well researched and thorough, but not a great book........1999-08-16

This book provides a chronological history of political events in Russia under Yeltsin. It is well researched and very thorough, but it has some problems that keep it from being a great book.

There is little social and economic context provided. It assumes the reader has a knowledge of what social and economic forces are impinging on the political events. Who for example are the "oligarchs," or the "natural monopolies," and what role do they play? This gets little explanation.

This is not an insider's story. There is no feeling of seeing deeply into the different personalities. You can argue that the book is about history and is not investigative reporting, but nevertheless the 2-dimensionality of the main players in the drama leaves the book flat.

There is nothing to help the reader separate out the more significant from the less significant events. This is an important role for the historian, to bring out the defining and pivotal moments of historical events. This book is simply a chronology.

Book Description

Protecting the rights of citizens has for a long time been an important issue for the European Union. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is set to present arguments from specific political, legal, acedemic and societal perspectives, reflecting a wide spectrum of interests and concerns. The Charter is filled with essays and political commentary from the most prestigious of perspectives.

Major Nation-States in the European Union

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Useful intoduction to EU States

Major Nation-States in the European Union
J. Richard Piper
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The European Dream : How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream
Europe Today: National Politics, European Integration, and European Security (Europe Today (Rowman and Littlefield, Inc.).)
Emerging European Union, The (4th Edition)
Atlanticism for a New Century: The Rise, Triumph, and Decline of NATO (Prentice Hall Studies in International Relations)
Understanding the European Union: A Concise Introduction, Third Edition (European Union)

ASIN: 0321106423

Customer Reviews:

Useful intoduction to EU States.......2005-02-16

Major Nation-States in the European Union by J. Richard Piper (Longman) The Major Nation-States in the European Union is a text designed primarily for American students in political science, history, economics, or general social science courses who are eager to learn about the European Union (EU) and the major nation-states that are its members: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Unlike most other texts on contemporary Europe, it aims to integrate fully analyses of the European Union with those of its major component states rather than focusing primar¬ily either on the EU or on the nation-states.
This book comes into print at a time when the European Union is undergoing major transformations, with a newly proposed consti¬tution under debate and ten new member states having just joined the EU on May 1, 2004, bringing its membership overnight to 25 states from 15. It also comes into print at a time when the transatlantic partnership between Europe and the United States is undergoing new strains, reflected in the recent Iraq War but also present on a variety of worldwide issues includ¬ing global warming, the International Criminal Court, and trade.
Against the backdrop of these exciting de¬velopments, this book aims to provide students with an understanding of the historical back-ground, institutions, leaders, and participatorystructures and processes that shape contempo¬rary Europe and its relations with the United States and the rest of the world. The text is or¬ganized into three parts and 16 chapters, with an appendix that highlights active learning possibilities through a European Union simu¬lation. The first part of the book, focused on the European Union, provides an introductory overview (Chapter One), followed by chapters on the historical development (Chapter Two), current institutions and leaders (Chapter Three), and public policies (Chapter Four) of the EU. The second part of the book empha¬sizes the five major nation-states of the pre-2004 European Union: France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain. For each of these nation-states, an initial chapter discusses the development, governmental insti¬tutions, and participatory structures and processes of the country in question; a second chapter on each nation-state emphasizes the relationship between that country and the European Union. The third and final part of the book provides in Chapter Fifteen a com¬parative overview of all 15 states that were members of the EU before 2004, placing the five major states in a broad comparative con-text and enabling readers to gain an under-standing of the importance of the smaller member states of the EU also. Chapter Sixteen emphasizes Poland as the newest major nation-state in the European Union, in the context of discussing the dramatic eastward expansion of the EU and the possible future roles of Turkey and Russia vis-à-vis the EU. Finally, the ap¬pendix offers suggestions concerning active learning through a simulation of the European Union and its major nation-states.
Among the unique features of this book are its readability; its frequent highlighting of quotations to humanize the text, and its "People in the EU" boxes on prominent Europeans and their contributions. To enhance accessibility for students who may be unfamiliar with certain European or social-science terms, key concepts appear in bold print on first usage and are de-fined clearly in the Glossary beginning on page 384. Each chapter begins with a quotation per¬taining to its main themes, and several key quotations are highlighted to add a human dimension. The "People in the EU" boxes, accompanied in most cases by pictures, bring home to students the special impact of such European leaders as Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister who presaged a movement toward free markets in both Europe and the United States; Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French nationalist who shook up French and European politics by coming in second in the French presidential elec¬tion of 2003; and Romano Prodi, the former Italian prime minister who became president of the European Commission during a time of unusual turbulence.

The Dream that Failed: Reflections on the Soviet Union

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The jury is still out.
A story of political self-deception and failure.

The Dream that Failed: Reflections on the Soviet Union
Walter Laqueur
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Why Lenin? Why Stalin? Why Gorbachev?: The Rise and Fall of the Soviet System (3rd Edition)
Hitler: A Study in Tyranny
Contemporary Europe: A History (10th Edition)
Journalism Across Cultures
Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia

ASIN: 0195102827

Book Description

Walter Laqueur as been hailed as "one of our most distinguished scholars of modern European history" in the New York Times Book Review. Robert Byrnes, writing in the Journal of Modern History, called him "one of the most remarkable men in the Western world working in the field." Over a span of three decades, in books ranging from Russia and Germany to the recent Black Hundred, he has won a reputation as a major writer and a provocative thinker. Now he turns his attention to the greatest enigma of our time: the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. In The Dream that Failed, Laqueur offers an authoritative assessment of the Soviet era--from the triumph of Lenin to the fall of Gorbachev. In the last three years, decades of conventional wisdom about the U.S.S.R. have been swept away, while a flood of evidence from Russian archives demands new thinking about old assumptions. Laqueur rises to the challenge with a critical inquiry conducted on a grand scale. He shows why the Bolsheviks won the struggle for power in 1917; how they captured the commitment of a young generation of Russians; why the idealism faded as Soviet power grew; how the system ultimately collapsed; and why Western experts have been so wrong about the Communist state. Always thoughtful and incisive, Laqueur reflects on the early enthusiasm of foreign observers and Bolshevik revolutionaries--then takes a piercing look at the totalitarian nature of the Soviet Union. We see how Communist society stagnated during the 1960s and '70s, as the economy wobbled to the brink; we also see how Western observers, from academic experts to CIA analysts, made wildly optimistic estimates of Moscow's economic and political strength. Just weeks before the U.S.S.R. disappeared from the earth, scholars were confidently predicting the survival of the Soviet Union. But in underscoring the rot and repression, he also notes that the Communist state did not necessarily have to fall when it did, and he examines the many factors behind the collapse (the pressure from Reagan's Star Wars arms program, for instance, and ethnic nationalism). Some of these same problems, he finds, continue to shape the future of Russia and the other successor states. Only now, in the rubble of this lost empire, are we coming to grips with just how wrong our assumptions about the U.S.S.R. had been. In The Dream That Failed, an internationally renowned historian provides a new understanding of the Soviet experience, from the rise of Communism to its sudden fall. The result of years of research and reflection, it sheds fresh light on a central episode in our turbulent century.

Customer Reviews:

The jury is still out........2000-08-09

It was a dream that almost from its humble start turned into a bloody nightmare, and it did fail, but it's too soon to declare that as if Communism were not poised for acomeback in the former Soviet Union or in Eastern Europe. If it does come back we may not get to see, at least for a while, its inevitable Stalinist face, with gulags, forced labor, terror, and wholesale murder of political and class enemies. But that will happen in time and with a former KGB man running things in Moscow and ex-Communists back in power in the "Near Abroad" and Eastern Europe, any epitaphs about Communism are in too early. Walter Laqueur says this much in his analysis, but the title of his book is a bit misleading. There are plenty of Communists out there and the ideology is attractive to a lot of people from very different backgrounds, so a resurgent Russia that swallows the Near Abroad and "protects" Eastern Europe is a very real possibility.

This is a good book, but you must be prepared to go to the Notes pages constantly. By far the best part is the author's exposure of the so-called "experts" from the West who got it so wrong regarding the Soviet Union, not only about its implosion (they are not clairvoyants, after all), but in their total analysis of the system. Laqueur presents most of these experts as what they are: ideologically-motivated men and women of the Left that could not bring themselves to see the rotten system they were supposedly studying. When they saw the truth, they camouflaged it or ignored it because they were attracted to such a system.

I was disappointed in the exclusion of Dmitri Volkogonov and the very brief mention of Roy Medvedev from among the Soviet scholars who seriously attempted to bring light to a very dark subject. Of especial consideration is the case of Volkogonov, whose biographies of Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky leave no doubt that the troika in whose hands rested the destiny of millions in Russia and beyond was a corrupt, power-hungry confluence of liars, murderers, and fanatics. Laqueur ignores Volkogonov. Almost equally ignored is Robert Conquest, barely mentioned in a rather vague form. Perhaps the author wanted to concentrate on the lousy ones, like Getty, Fitzpatrick, Lewin, Sanders, and others. Still, honorable mentions to those who courageously wrote the truth and were right about how bad Communism (in all its variants: Leninist, Stalinist, Trotskyist) really was would have been a valuable epilogue.

In spite of these minor problems, this is a highly recommended book, especially to use as a guide in order to detect the so-called fellow travellers (Lenin called them "Useful Idiots) like Carr and Deutscher, or the inexcusably bad ones for being apologists, like Brand, Schlesinger, Ward, Davies, etc. Also, for those interested in the subject, an article by Robert Conquest for the "Times Literary Supplement" of London and reproduced by the "National Review" of July 15, 1996, is very good additional material. In it, Mr. Conquest has one or two things to say about Robert W. Thurston's book on Stalin "Life and Terror in Stalin's Russia, 1934-1941." I would suggest reading Laqueur's book first, and then Conquest's article.

A story of political self-deception and failure........1999-04-11

"The Dream That Failed" is an insightful book about what went wrong in the Soviet Union, or perhaps better, a wrong idea that was doomed to failure. Walter Laqueur deftly points out the political self-deception of the Soviet political system and the failure of the system to adapt to changing times or ever recognize the change before it was too late. The most interesting insight in the book is the analysis of Western "experts" on the Soviet Union. Most appeared to more caught up in the deceptions and failures, and still are, than the Soviet government. My only criticisms: the book is a little hard to read. The complexity of the sentence structure frequently requires breaking the sentences down into their components to keep from getting lost. The syntax also comes across as somewhat affected. Over all a very good book, well worth the effort.

Seven Theorems Search Euro Par (Future of European Parliamentary Democracy)

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Seven Theorems Search Euro Par (Future of European Parliamentary Democracy)
David Coombes
Manufacturer: The Federal Trust
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0901573701

Russia under the Old Regime: Second Edition (Penguin History)

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Very Informative Look at Pre-Revolutionary Russia
Brilliant Read
Best of the Set
An Excellent Treatment
Amazing interpretation of Russia's history

Russia under the Old Regime: Second Edition (Penguin History)
Richard Pipes
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Russian Revolution
Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime
A Concise History of the Russian Revolution
Three " Whys" of the Russian Revolution
Communism: A History (Modern Library Chronicles)

ASIN: 0140247688

Book Description

One wants to talk about the evolution of the Russian state, but that's the problem: there virtually was none, from the Middle Ages to WW I. Then the communists added 60 more years in the deep freeze. Only today is progress a possibility.

From his vantage point at Harvard, Professor Richard Pipes sees in Russia's history a sweeping epic that helps us better understand the Russia of today.

"Brilliant, provocative analysis." (The Times, London)

Customer Reviews:

Very Informative Look at Pre-Revolutionary Russia.......2007-04-16

Richard Pipes does a good job at laying out the workings of Russia's Tsarist Regime. What I found to be most interesting and persuasive is Pipes' frequent contrasts between Russia and Western Europe. For instance, he looks at the status of the nobility and the strength of the church. In both instances, Pipes draws a clear path as to how, in Tsarist Russia, these institutions became virtual extensions of the state bureaucracy (in sharp contrast to Western Europe, where they often served as brakes on royal power). In addition, Pipes places Russia squarely in the sphere of Asian (specifically Mongol) influence. As evidence, he points to close similarities between the Khanate and Tsarist "patrimonialism." In doing so, he de-emphasizes the oft-stated argument that Russia was the close heir to Byzantium. Finally, Pipes continally demonstrates how Tsarist policies laid the groundwork for the Soviet system (though the latter took those policies to a far bloodier and more extreme conclusion). My only criticism of the book is that Pipes does not deal directly with the issue of Russia's "national minorities" (beyond a quick mention of the Jewish Pale of Settlement and several Polish rebellions against Russian rule) and the attempts by the Tsarist regime to "Russify" those groups. I think that this would have been quite relevant to look at in Russia during this period. I am looking forward to reading Pipes' writings on later events in Russia.

Brilliant Read.......2004-10-12

This is indeed a brilliant book. Any one who wants to understand Russia should read it. I can not praise it highly enough. Please get a copy and learn and enjoy.

Best of the Set.......2003-12-28

I think this is the best of what I guess you would call Pipes' "Revolutionary Trilogy." "The Russian Revolution," perhaps two or three times the length, is impaired a bit by Pipes' sometimes tedious moral-pointing. "Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime" seems a bit less ambitious than the other two, and in any event it is surely the one least likely to survive the torrent of new material that is becoming available after the fall.

What distinguishes Russia in Pipes' eye is the tradition of "patrimonialism" -- as a political category, a coinage of Pipes' own, though with its roots in Weber, in Hobbes and Bodin, even in Aristotle. Pipes means to denote "a regime where the rights of sovereignty and those of ownership blend to the point of becoming indistinguishable, and political power is exercised in the same manner as economic power."

"Despotism," Pipes continues, "has much the same etymological origins, but over time it has acquired the meaning of a deviation or corruption of genuine kingship, the latter being understood to respect the property rights of subjects. The patrimonial regime, on the other hand, is a regime in its own right, not a corruption of something else."

This is a brave assertion, and Pipes remains faithful to it. Indeed, the core of the book is perhaps his chapter entitled "The Anatomy of the Patrimonial Regime," where Pipes tries to show how utterly different is the tradition of governance in Russia from the tradition in the West -- even in Western nations that we might think of as "reactionary."

There are other virtues to this book. His introductory chapter on the environment is perhaps worth the price of admission, as he retails the grim arithmetic of topsoil and grain production. His discussion of serfdom provokes all kinds of questions about the relationship between serfdom in Russia and slavery in the West.

A work of just 318 pages can hardly pretend to be the last word on the history of a great nation, and Pipes maintains no such pretention. I take it as given that much more could be said to inform, expand upon, or criticize, Pipes' perspective. But as a framework for approaching the study of Russia, it is hard for me to see how it could be bettered. As a provative contribution to the literature of political analysis generally, I should think its claim is equally strong.

An Excellent Treatment.......2003-09-08

When I purchased this title in a used bookstore for two dollars, I was somewhat apprehensive about its scholarly quality, author biography not withstanding. Upon reading, however, I must say that I felt Pipes admirably illumined what is a very complex economic, social, and cultural subject. Specifically, his thesis concerns the manner in which the Russian state, under various formative influences, developed an essentially proprietary attitude towards land and subject alike. In Pipes' view this has been the primary determinant of all Russian history following Mongol domination. I myself make no pretenses to be an authority on the subject, but Pipes' use of evidence generally convinced me of the credibility of his claim. I would recommend this title to anyone interested in a general account of the pre-revolutionary Russian state apparatus.

Amazing interpretation of Russia's history.......2001-06-16

This book is an absolute must-read! Before I read this book the history of Russia was a weakly connected sequence of contradictory events to me - that I wasn't able to organize in my mind in any comprehensible way. After reading this book I see a clear picture of my country's history. I suddenly understand what is going on. Every historical event, every action of a historic person suddenly falls into place, I see their meaning. This book provides you with an understanding of the real issues that have been troubling Russia for the past 1200 years. You will understand Russia and you will understand its people. The mext time Russia is on the news, and you have some Russians making a statement or conducting some action - you will understand where they are coming from when they are doing that.

The Rule of Law in the European Constitution

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The Rule of Law in the European Constitution
Maria Fernaandez Esteban , and Marian Luisa Fernandez Estaban
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9041197354

Book Description

The European Court of Justice once stated that the European Community is governed by the rule of law inasmuch as member states, Community institutions and individuals are bound to the basic constitutional charter, the Treaty. The purpose of this book is to answer the question whether this statement is still valid for the European Union, and to analyse which features best define the rule of law at the European level. In order to define the principle of the rule of law at the European level, this book undertakes a comparative analysis of what the principle means in different legal systems. An analysis is also made of the implications for national legal orders, specifically for judges. The conclusion reached as a result of the research undertaken for this book is the co-existence of two visions of the rule of law within national legal orders: the traditional view of each legal order by itself, and the new vision of the principle as defined by the Court of Justice. This legal phenomenon involves what is defined as `the paradox of the two paradigms of law', which determines a share of concepts, tools and remedies amongst legal systems.

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