*** MICHEL NKOTI BOHOLE: L'Afrique… Quelles institutions pour demain ? L'Harmattan (5-7 rue de l'Ecole polytechnique, F-75005 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40467920 - fax: 43258203 - E-mail: diffusion.harmattan@wanadoo.fr - Internet: http://www.librairieharmattan.com ). 2009, 229 pp., €22. ISBN 978-2-296-07813-0.
This book was written by an historian who spent his career teaching economic and social history in the Cameroon. For the European reader, this book is both edifying and frustrating. Edifying, because it goes beyond the physical borders of continents and finds in favour of the “founding fathers” of European integration, who, 60 years ago, just a few years after the Second World War, had the audacity and vision to bring together six sovereign but anemic countries to innovate and build a common future together in a revolutionary way. This future proved peaceful and, so far, prosperous to citizens in this portion of the continent. The message that Michel Nkoti Bohole is particularly keen to highlight is addressed to young people in Africa and is essentially the same, “ they should move towards developing a United States of Africa and finish with the Africa of coup d'états, destitution, disease, poverty and the begging bowl”. The author believes that, “ the solution can be located in genuine and total political union throughout the continent”. In his eyes, this would be the quickest way of one day guaranteeing, “the triumph of the rule of law, a completely democratic regime and good administration” throughout Africa.
Is this a purely utopian vision? Undoubtedly… in exactly the same way as were the dreams of all those in Europe who dreamt of bringing Europe's countries together in one form or another and who succeeded in executing a radical break with the past, as initiated by Monnet and Schuman! This book is in fact frustrating as well because its author does not draw any lessons from past history, which is, however, the only way in which Africans would be able to take their destiny into their hands (having access to the facts - and difficulties to overcome in order to accomplish this trajectory). His model would be a system of federal states - as exists in Canada and the United States of America, with a presidential regime embodied, one day, by an African Obama or Gadaffi, who in the author's eyes, “ would appear to be the most suited to provide this boost of energy for moving forward” towards the Federation. The research sources on which the author draws, for the main part, are French and do not provide any real lessons about European construction. At one stage the book loses its relevance by digressing into a philosophical and academic meander on how to tackle Africa's problems rather than developing a political project. Ultimately, there is a heartfelt and intelligent appeal made in the book, which is food for thought to all those dreaming of a different future to Africa.…
Michel Theys
*** VAIVA BERNOTAITE: Entwicklungspolitik und Zusammenarbeit der Europäischen Gemeinschaft (EG) mit den Staaten der Gemeinschaft unabhängiger Staaten (GUS). Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - fax: 3761727 - E-mail info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "Schriften zum Europa- und Völkerrecht und zur Rechtsvergleichung" series, No.23. 2007, 190 pp. ISBN 978-3-631-56166-9.
This historical and critical analysis of European community development and co-operation programmes since the Treaty of Rome, was presented by a young Lithuanian to the Johan Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, as his thesis. It provides a detailed analysis of the goals of European action, together with their institutional framework, in which this action was carried out. Throughout the publication, the author underlines the necessity of recognising that the results obtained over the years have not always been very convincing. The analysis is then applied to new aid programmes proposed by the European Union to newly independent countries that came about with the break-up of the Soviet Union during the 1990s and which created a whole range of problems, due to difficulties encountered regarding what goals should be pursued. The author does not draw very positive conclusions. The impact of the policies pursued with regard to the development of these countries is not very easy to determine. Is this because of the lack of clarity in external policy? Is this because of the difficulties Europe had it in establishing relations with Russia and which still has its own unique role in this context? The conclusions create more questions than answers but overall, this publication is both edifying and thought provoking.
(GFr)
*** LUCA RATTI: Britain, Ost- And Deutschlandpolitik, and the CSCE (1955 - 1975). Peter Lang (see address attached). 2008, 268 pp., €46.40. ISBN 978-3-03911-764-2.
This book examines the period of détente in relations between the Federal German Republic and the Soviet Union, as well as, in particular, United Kingdom's attitude with regard to these relations. German Ostpolitik was perceived by the British elite as a fundamental contribution to détente but also as a real danger to the interests of the United Kingdom if the two Germanys should ever manage to unite. Nonetheless, Ostpolitik and Deutschlandpolitik would ultimately open a breach in the Iron Curtain and weaken the coherency of the Soviet bloc, through the concept of self-determination demanded by East Germany and advocated during its negotiations with the Eastern bloc. The Conference on Security and Corporation in Europe, with the introduction of human rights proved this because the implications on the Soviet bloc were so obvious, as well as the implications for its relations with the latter's satellite countries. Luca Ratti, an historian in human relations, teaching at the University of Roma Tre and the American University of Rome, examines British action during this period. He draws on new archives relating to this period, as well as already known sources of historical information. He provides a detailed comparison between the archives from West Germany and the United Kingdom in an effort to update less well-known positions put forward by the United Kingdom in relation to the “German question”. He also illustrates the problems that had to be confronted by British decision-makers in order to maintain contact with the Federal Republic, even though it saw long-term German reunification in a negative light.
(NDu)
*** ANNEGRET BENDIEK, HEINZ KRAMER: Die EU als globaler Akteur. Unklare "Strategien", diffuses Leitbild. Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (Institut für Internationale Politik und Sicherheit, 3-4 Ludwigkirchplatz, D-10719 Berlin. Tel: (49-30) 88007-0 - fax: 88007-100 - E-mail: swp@swp-berlin.orge - Internet: http: //http://www.swp-berlin.org ). "SWP-Studie" series, No. 12. 2009, 24 pp..
The International role of the European Union continues to provoke a number of questions. The economic might of the entity created by the 27 member states has not yet been translated into political terms, despite a network of interregional relations and favoured partnerships with a large number of countries from different continents. According to the European Security Strategy published at the end of 2003, a whole range of initiatives forms part of the Union's strategies and new global governance. The authors of this study analysed the meaning and nature of these initiatives, as well the strategic interests of the latter. They also illustrate the role played by member states in the alliances created by the Union. They also explore the paradigms of “civil power” and “normative power”. Whilst outlining the difficulties contained in the Union's foreign policy, as well as a criticism that could be made of it, the authors highlight the demands that must be met in future European foreign policy.
(JD)
*** ROXANA BOBULESCU: Les années Ceaucescu. Récit d'une adolescente en Roumanie. L'Harmattan (see address attached). 2009, 134 pp., €13. ISBN 978-3-296-10100-5.
This very personal book is full of real eyewitness history, as experienced by a teenager recounting the socialist Romania of the 1980s under the iron heel of the Ceausescus. The author paints a typical portrait of the "Comrade" of the era, as well as the daily life of a young person starved of freedom but because of academic success at school, manages to open the doors through the Union of the Young Communists and obtain a number of professional advantages. The propaganda of the regime, all kinds of shortages, pharaonic projects but also the ability to get by and Romanian culture are also described in the form of an intimate diary. This sheds light on the daily life of the people who, under a dictatorship, continue to live and hope and dream of a “marvellous capitalist world”, families dreaming of “abundance… in colour”, parents who secretly listened to Radio Europa Liberta " in a way the French listened to the BBC while awaiting liberation from De Gaulle"... This guided tour of the nepotic Romania under the Conducator helps us to understand the degree of oppression experienced by the Romanian people, as well as the amazing ingenuity they displayed in surviving it.
(MT)
*** JOVICTORIA NICHOLSON-GOODMAN: Autobiography of a democratic Nation at Risk. The Currere of Culture and Citizenship in the Post-9/11 American Wilderness. Editions Peter Lang (address). "Complicated Conversation" series, No.26. 2009,264 pp., €21.20. ISBN 978-1-4331-0144-1.
This excellent book takes the reader on a voyage through the post-9/11 American psyche and draws up a balance sheet of a nation suddenly finding itself on the edge of a disconcerting precipice. By extending the method of individual biography to that of a nation, JoVictoria Goodman, who teaches social sciences at Penn State Harisburg, poses the painful question for a number of US citizens , "Who are we really as a nation?" Describing the "new American savagery”, she also provides an initial analysis of events unfolding since the elections of 2000 up until the outbreak of war in Iraq. She depicts a disorientated society, the victim of doubt and distrust, an autocratic and dishonest ruling class, which, under cover of nationalist and triumphant speeches, seeks to impose the power of a radical minority at both domestic and international levels. According to the author, there are three shockwaves - the 2000 electoral imbroglio, the Twin Towers event and multiple revelations regarding the abuse of power and human rights violations committed by the executive- which clashed with democratic sensibility felt by a huge section of the population, which is asking itself more and more questions about what really happened in the USA during the Bush era. In the second part of the book, JoVictoria Nicholson-Goodman looks at the US education system's capacity to educate in the face of consistent media manipulation, disinformation campaigns and the loss of power, which threatens the whole political system. According to the author, the erosion and manipulation of the public sphere, as well as the inability of the public to be or remain informed, the transformation of politics into showbiz and the juxtaposition of important reportage with news items that are essentially of an entertainment value, contributes to a reduced understanding of what the real stakes are. In this context, the author looks at ways in which young people can be taught to think about their society, their world, democracy and ideas and, in particular, their national identity -"who tells us who we are ". In the last part of the book, she examines the dichotomy created in American society by way of the analysis of several documents that mainly appeared in the 16 months following 11 September 2001 and which illustrate the worrying direction taken by the White House. The book concludes with a number of reflections and ideas about what alternative paths exist. The author ultimately underlines the need to explore the theory of authoritarian government formulated in Germany before the emergence of the Third Reich …
(NDu)
*** JEROME LAMBERT: Vers un accord euro-méditerranéen d'association entre l'Union européenne et la Syrie. Commission des Affaires européennes de l'Assemblée nationale (Boutique de l'Assemblée nationale, 7 rue Aristide Briand, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40630033 - Internet: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr ). Collection "Rapport d'information", NO.1842. 2009, 27pp., €3.50. ISBN 2-11-125459-6.
In this brief Information Report, a French MP defends the long delayed signing of the Euro-Mediterranean Association agreement between the European Union and Syria (delayed because of the situation in Lebanon). The MP asserts that this agreement provides a “unique opportunity for transforming” the region economically and democratically and helping create stability in the region.
(PBo)
*** YADH BENACHOUR, JEAN-ROBERT HENRY, ROSTANE MEHDI (Editors): Le débat juridique au Maghreb. De l'étatisme à l'Etat de droit. Editions Publisud (15 rue des Cinq-Diamants, F-75013 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 45807850 - fax: 45899415 - E-mail: publisud.editions@cegetel.net - Internet: http://www.editionspublisud.hautetfort.com ). 2009, 403 pp., €39.90. ISBN 978-2-86600-696-9.
Eminent legal specialists from the two sides of the Mediterranean pay homage in this excellent publication to their colleague and friend Ahmed Mahiou. The latter is now retired but spent a large part of his teaching and scientific enquiry devoted towards consolidating international law and the promotion of the rule of law, as well as consistently defending the idea (as highlighted by the book's editors in their introduction) of why sovereignty could not (or should not?) ever be conceived as an absolute. In the pages of this publication, however, the authors highlight another facet of the concerns of this former doyen of the Algiers Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences and his active participation in the North African legal debate. They paint a picture a very detailed picture of developments involving legal research issues in North Africa since independence, as well as the tension and stakes at play in this field and in this region. The first part of the book focuses on legal developments following decolonialisation and the second half of the book looks at how the rule of law has developed in Algeria (which ousted him from university when French was no longer allowed to be used) and in neighbouring countries.
(MT)