*** ALVARO DE VASCONCELOS, MARCIN ZABOROWSKI (Eds.): The Obama Moment. European and American Perspectives. European Union Institute for Security Studies (43 av. du Président Wilson, F-75775 Paris cedex 16. Tel: (33-1) 56891930 - Fax: 56891931 - email: info@iss.euuropa.eu - Internet: http://www.iss.europa.eeu ). 2009, 248 pp. ISBN 978-92-9198-160-1.
It is clear that most Europeans and most (but not all) of their leaders had no great regrets in seeing the end of the Bush epoch at the White House and it is also clear that the arrival of Barack Obama was greeted with wild enthusiasm in the Old Continent, enthusiasm that is almost as strong a year and a half later. Europeans had been correct, along with Eurosceptics and other US and European 'Neo-Cons,' to fear the arrival of George Bush, whose opinions were so far removed from their own. With President Obama, however, and his 'vision of a common humanity' to be managed in common, the time of US imperialism and arrogance has passed. Better still, the new period that is now beginning could well prove to be a time when the European Union's desire to see a 'multipolar' world emerging is actually met, a world where, as sociologist Edgar Morin puts it, a new wider patriotism will take root and form the spirit of the second age of globalisation which will attempt, and perhaps be able, to tame the first round of globalisation and be a civilising influence in the world.
In reality, writes Alvaro de Vasconcelos, director of the European Union Institute for Security Studies, in the introduction to this brilliant collection of essays, Barack Obama's arrival at the White House is both an advantage and a serious challenge for the European Union. An advantage because Obama 'shares the same principles and values that lie at the heart of European integration,' with 'soft power' being called upon more than ever within Washington's policies. The challenge arises from the fact that soft power will no longer be 'an exclusively European prerogative,' for the incumbent at the White House will make use of it himself in places where the EU 'has failed' because it has not provided itself with the institutional and decision-making resources needed to provide legitimacy around the world. Therefore, writes Alvaro de Vasconcelos, the EU's foreign policy will be judged in the light of its 'ability to react effectively to Obama's international agenda'.
This analytical book examining future prospects aims to see where the EU and US agendas diverge and where they coincide, in order to discern priority areas where they could and should work together, learning the lessons of the past and aware of the fact that the time when only transatlantic relations could shape the world is gone and, like the Bush years, will not be returning. The priorities are broadly the same for both the EU and the US, the only thing that differs on either side of the Pond is their relative importance. The authors of this book write that it would be a good idea for the EU to select from its own priorities the ones that are most likely to lead to common action with the US, for example the Middle East, because although the United States has doubts about the EU's ability to act effectively in this domain (the Europeans' role 'cannot be confined to statements or even providing financial aid to the Palestinian Authority,' explains Ibrahim Kalin of Georgetown University), it has never before been so close to the spirit of the 1980 Venice Declaration. John Bruton, former European Commission representative in Washington, argues that this should encourage the US to adopt a 'big bang strategy': 'Sooner or later, that political reality has to be faced by the United States and a clear choice put before Israel - a viable two-state plan or a one-state plan with equal votes for all residents'. In this connection, the European Union will have to stop simply trying to 'manage' the conflict in the Middle East and try to actually 'settle' it, and this should encourage the EU to talk with all the parties involved, 'including Hamas' and recognise that Turkey could be extremely useful in getting the EU's policy rooted in the Middle East. Russia is another priority for energy and security and also in terms of dealing with climate change. The author argues that these policies should feed into joint EU-US action because the EU has to stop ignoring Afghanistan, non-proliferation (Iran) and disarmament issues. Over and above all these areas of current events, the authors urge the US and the EU to 'revisit the transatlantic paradigm' because the new world order demands multilateral governance of security issues and the G20 could act as an example with its action to stabilise the financial whirlwind. This is the path to be followed to ensure, together with China, India and other powers, that a 'world patriotism' can develop at some point...
Michel Theys
*** HANS-GEORG HEINRICH, LUDMILLA LOBOVA (Eds.): Belarus: External Pressure, Internal Change. Editions Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, Postfach 350, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - Fax: 3761727 - Email: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). 2009, 394 pp, €46-50. ISBN 978-3-631-59301-1.
The Belarus model and the intransigence that characterises Belarus politics are the subject of this book following on from the first round of dialogue between the Belarus regime and opposition members, who agreed to hold talks as part of a project funded by the National Bank of Austria. Research showed that dialogue mediated by neutral moderators was possible in the wake of the 2006 elections and such dialogue was in fact necessary. The participants in the talks were aware of the risks they were taking in holding discussions with the other side, which is often seen as betrayal, but they managed to pull off a tour de force and avoid empty polemic that would have put paid to any serious scientific study further down the line. The essays in this book are either criticise or praise the current regime, depending on whether they were written by supporters or opponents of it. They paint a social and political picture of modern Belarus and tensions between the regime and the opposition. These views are then enriched by essayists from neighbouring countries, like Poland and Russia. The authors are from various backgrounds, including political analysts, political scientists, former politicians and human rights activists, who also discuss the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and examine how Belarus' role on the world stage is evolving. The book will help readers understand the special and no doubt evolving nature of the Belarus 'model'…
(NDu)
*** SABINE FISCHER (Ed.): Back from the Cold? The EU and Belarus in 2009. European Union Institute for Security Studies (see above). "Chaillot Papers," No. 119. 2009, 107 pp. ISBN 978-92-9198-159-5.
Is there currently a thaw in relations between the European Union and Belarus? After years of total blackout, the EU has temporarily suspended its sanctions against the Belarus regime and tried to get the country to join the EU's new Eastern Partnership in 2009. As far as the EU is concerned, however, relations between the two are still very complicated. The Minsk regime has not only survived the sanctions imposed by the West and neighbouring countries' changes of government in 2004 and 2005, but it is also relatively well supported by public opinion, in part because of political and economic support from Russia, although Russian support seems to be rapidly tailing off. The regime is now the only government in the region to have resisted change but has now no choice but sto seek new foreign partners. Belarus is not planning any democratic or free market reforms, which does not facilitate relations with Brussels. This newsletter provides in-depth empirical analysis of Belarus, a country largely unknown in Europe because of its long isolation. The authors explore the political system, the country's elite, media, civil society, energy and foreign policy, making suggestions and recommendations for the EU's approach to the country.
(NDu)
*** LORENZ KING, GIORGI KHUBUA (Eds.): Georgia in Transition. Editions Peter Lang (see above). "Schriften zur Internationalen Entwicklungs-und Umweltforschung" series, No. 26. 2009, 319 pp, €51.20. ISBN 978-3-631-58977-9.
Sandwiched between the Black Sea and the mountains of the Caucasus, Georgia has a diverse range of geography and climate. Traditionally a farming land, it was the only Soviet Republic to export fruit, vegetables and wine during the time of the USSR, when its population enjoyed one of the highest living standards in the region. Georgia declared independence in 1991 and this was followed by a period of transition, civil war and political instability. Many of the problems of those years are still alive and kicking today, but after the Russian financial crisis of 1997-8 and sudden economic decline in the first years of transition, Georgia's economy has picked up and is now growing, with gradual increases in standards of living. The book is the work of the Ivane Javakhishvili State University in Tbilissi and Justus-Liebig University in Giessen, providing an overview of changes in Georgia during this difficult time of change. The authors start by analysing political issues like changes in Georgia's legal system, the democratic process (elections and other means of expression), problems in Abkhazia and Ossetia and the integration of ethnic minorities. The second section examines problems generated by the gradual shift from a centralised economy to a market economy and problems caused by Russia's embargo of Georgian products. The authors also look at the country's investment plans for farming - which dominates the economy. The final part of the book looks at the environment and describes how climate change is impacting on the country. It examines farming and how farming has deteriorated due to the use of toxic chemicals (heavy metals and chemicals) that have poisoned many of the country's irrigation systems.
(NDu)
*** MAURICE BOMMENSATH: L'islam et l'entreprise. L'exemple des entreprises compétitives turques - Quels enseignements pour les économies arabo-islamiques? Editions Publisud (15 rue des Cinq-Diamants, F-75013 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 45807850 - Fax: 45899415 - Email: publisud.editions@cegetel.net - Internet: http://www.editionspublisud.hautetfort.com ). 2009, 131 pp, €28. ISBN 978-2-86600-611-2.
The backwardness of Islamic countries' economies is not inevitable. It is due to 'obstacles imposed by the Koran' that prevents even the most advanced Islamic countries from abandoning 'a backward-looking defensive strategy' and embracing globalisation. Islamicists use these links with the past to forge their identity; governments and 'associated clans' put up with it, their sole motivated being to cling onto power and protect their privileges. Meanwhile, however, entrepreneurs are starting to emerge in countries like Turkey where, alongside mammoth conglomerates whose power is based on their close proximity to the elites in Istanbul of Atatürk's republic, there are companies in the regions of Anatolia that long resisted the teachings of Kemalism, companies now involved in a kind of green capitalism aiming to reconcile Islam with modernity, or rather to help a new Islamic modernity to emerge. In this book, Maurice Bommensath explains how he discovered companies of this ilk in Kayseri, the city in Anatolia that the Turkish President, Abdulhah Gül, hails from. He describes the invention of a new 'Calvinist work ethic' and entrepreneurs wanting to create a society that is both deeply religious and deeply modern at the same time. He demonstrates the connections between Islam and individualistic, free market capitalism with limited state intervention. The author argues that other Muslim countries have now been won over to this 'individualistic, capitalist trend' which augurs well, despite that fact that the battle has not yet been won, due to resistance from the bureaucracy, clans and the religious establishment. From this positive starting point, the author goes on to examine Muslim institutions today and aspects of Muslim culture, comparing them to the key development values.
(PBo)
*** Rivista di studi politici internazionali. Casa Editrice Le Lettere (28 Costa San Giorgio, I-50125 Florence. Tel: (39-55) 2342710 - Fax: 2346010 - Email: staff@lelettere.it - Internet: http://www.lelettere.it ). October-December 2009, No. 304, 160 pp, €15. Annual subscription: €55 (Italy), €70 (elsewhere).
This issue of an ever fascinating Italian review that has been going for more than seventy-five years starts with an address by Mohamed El Baradei at Parma University in Italy where he was made Honoris Causa in November 2009. The winner of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize recommends a global security system that is no longer based on weapons of mass destruction and sanctions but instead on conflict prevention and nuclear disarmament across-the-board. El Baradei's article is in English and the only other English article (the rest are in Italian) is by two researchers at Orlando University, who examine the implications of technology trade between Russia and Iran in areas that could lead to the building of nuclear weapons, satellites and nuclear power plants. Other articles of note include a masterly piece by Giuseppe Vedovato on the EU and ethical values against the backdrop of a crisis of globalisation, written when he received the Alcide De Gasperi Prize a few months ago.
(MT)
*** Politica Exterior. Estudios de Politica Exterior (49 Nunez de Balbou, E-28001 Madrid. Tel: (36-91) 4312628 - Fax: 5777252 - email: rivita@politicaexterior.com - Internet: http://www.polticaexterior.com ). March-April 2010, Issue 134, 172 pp, €13. This issue includes an article on military structures in Europe in the light of the Lisbon Treaty.