The Rebirth of Europe - Hardcover

Pond, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0815771584 ISBN 13: 9780815771586

Publisher: Brookings Inst Pr, 1999

Synopsis

The rejuvenation of Europe as a totalitarian century ends and a global century begins is a remarkable story. This book brings together the three dynamics of Europe's position at this extraordinary moment: European monetary union, the deepening of intra-EU cooperation, and the widening of the EU and NATO to take in central European members. It looks at the broad political and policy implications of EMU and shows how the United States views this integration. Elizabeth Pond, a longtime observer of events in Europe and Russia, sees these developments as the beginning of a new postnational European system that is replacing the centuries-old nation-state system. She shows how belligerence and anarchy have faded away on the European continent as compulsory cold war cooperation becomes a habit and as French-German reconciliation becomes the pattern for reconciliation between other old enemies. She follows NATO's transformation into a reluctant peacemaker in Bosnia and the United States' decision to remain a European power. She describes the leap of faith needed to create European monetary union and charts the magnetic attraction of both NATO and the EU in shaping the democratic, economic, and social revolutions in central Europe. She warns about the strains that will face the transatlantic relationship when the euro is on a par with the dollar as a reserve currency. And she concludes by agreeing with former Polish foreign minister Wladyslaw Barteszewski that we are witnessing, after the original birth of European consciousness a millennium ago, the rebirth of Europe.

About this title

About the Author

Elizabeth Pond is a journalist based in Germany. Currently a correspondent for the Washington Quarterly, she was a longtime European correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor. She is the author, most recently, of Friendly Fire: The Near-Death of the Transatlantic Alliance (Brookings, 2003) and The Rebirth of Europe (Brookings, revised 2002).

Review

"The author demonstrates an intimate knowledge of the events, leading figures, and popular moods in West European states during the last decade.... Pond not only tells the story and analyses it, she makes the main characters come alive, fills them with substance, and conveys public attitudes in a way that makes the book read like an interesting epic.... The book is very readable, covering a wide breadth of European issues in an accessible way. Pond has achieved her objective by presenting a very convincing case to Americans (and others) about why Europe matters. Her book provides a worthwhile overview of the subject that should enjoy a wide general readership." —Marta Dyczok, University of Western Ontario, Journal of Ukranian Studies, 7/1/2000

Edition details

• Publisher: Brookings Inst Pr
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0815771584
• ISBN 13: 9780815771586
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 290