*** JEAN-VICTOR LOUIS, MARIANNE DONY (Editors): Le droit de la CE et de l'Union européenne. Relations extérieures. Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles (26 av. Paul Héger, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 6503799 - fax: 6503794 - E-mail: editions@admin.ulb.ac.be - Internet: http://www.editions-universite-bruxelles.be ). "Commentaire J. Mégret" series, No. 12. 2005, 643 pp., € 92. ISBN 2-8004-1348-4.
Like all the other books published in the series founded by Jacques Mégret and overseen by the Institute of European Studies at the Free University of Brussels, this book will be considered crucial…by those, who, due to their work, make up the distinguished category of distinguished legal experts. Focusing on the Community and Union's external relations, this book is now in its second edition. This was at least expected: twenty years ago, a lot of water has gone under the bridge in this respect, but with regard to external relations when Professor Jean-Victor Louis edited the first issue, assisted by Peter Brückner, based on some rare provisions in the treaties , jurisprudence turned out to have a promising future. Since then the Single Act, then the treaties of Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice, without counting today's ratification of the Constitution, have all extended and made more complex the competencies and other European prerogatives in external relations.
The book provides a detailed analysis and the contributions come from some of the main figures of the ULB and European Universities linked to it, and tackle the legal aspects of the Community and Union's external relations at a very timely moment. They are divided into four parts. Jean-Victor Louis, Emeritus Professor at the ULB opens the first part on general problems and provides a meticulous analysis of the international legal personality of the Community and the Union and of the former's competency for concluding international agreements. Other contributions focus on the procedure of the conclusion of the agreements, their status within the Community legal order and the modalities for their jurisdictional control. Professor Dony focuses particular attention on the difficult issue of mixed agreements, namely those concluded with third countries and the Community and Member States. The result of agreements concluded by Member States before their participation at the Community is included in this first part. The following observes and studies the main kinds of international agreement, while the third focuses on relations with international organisations and participation in them. The fourth and final part finally sees Franklin Dehousse, Benoît Galer and Pierre Van Den Brule tackling Common Foreign and Security Policy and the European security and defence identity. The general conclusions in this impressive book are drawn by Jean-Victor Louis and aimed at an informed readership. Michel Theys
*** GUY SPITAELS: La triple insurrection islamiste. Librairie Arthème Fayard (Paris) et Editions Luc Pire (B-1000 Brussels. Internet: http://www.lucpire.be ). 2005, 527 pp., € 24. ISBN 2-87415-476-8.
A major Belgian political personality over two decades, Guy Spitaels discovers has discovered since he left active politics that he has an attentive and observant spirit, aware of the state of the world at this dawn of the new millennium, in which his book, “L'improbable Equilibre, géopolitique du désordre mondial” (The Improbable Geographical Strategic Imbalance of World Disorder) already bore this out two years ago. This time, the honorary president of the Socialist International has dedicated a passionate book on understanding the Islamic phenomenon. Differentiating himself from the “cataclysmic” interpretations (Lewis and Huntington) or the “soothing” tomes from some French commentators (Kepel, Roy) he demolishes the concept of Islamism, which in his view is “abusively generalising”, to provide a picture of the developing Muslim world at the time of a triple combat, which sometimes confirm each other. Initially, as in Algeria, Egypt or Uzbekistan, “the fight against the royal or republican dynasties”, which despite their obvious failures (growth, jobs, education, literacy, liberties, human rights etc) are clinging on to power. The author says that, “faced with this refusal of political change over” with the benign neglect of the West but often with its active support, the Islamicists see no alternative to the use of weapons to get rid of they predatory managers of the dynasties mentioned above. Like in Kashmir, Palestine or Chechnya , the fight for national liberation, which can, because it is “convenient” claim that god is on their side, does not form part of the international jihad. Through the emblematic figures of Ben Laden or Zarkaoui (and many others revealed by the book), the real radical jihadism that the author “without wishing to ignore the place he gives to God's design”, particularly identifies the political dimension to the combat, the religious doctrine “conferring the dimension of identity to a project that aims to mobilise the Arab masses” in an attempt to render the East's revenge on the West.
After presenting the causes of the “Muslim trauma” (agony of the Ottoman empire, bloody repressions in North Africa, Stalinist republican Muslims, Jewish immigration to the Middle East and the setting up of the Jewish state of Israel), the “rejection of apostate regimes” of North Africa and Asia, as well as the Orient (including Turkey) the three “seats of proselytism”: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran, told with vigour in the details of the passage on the “fedayin and mujahadin”, Spitaels studies the strategies implemented by the West to defeat the islamicist hydra. He therefore denounces the “US activism” based on the influence of the evangelical Christians, the military presence in Sahel and the Horn of Africa, the attempts to create a kind of vassal state system under the “Greater Middle East” project and the attempt to use NATO to this end. Neither is the author any kinder when it comes to the Union, whose over-cautiousness he deplores (particularly on immigration) and even the “vassalage” in relation to the USA, “overall, Europe creates the impression that it is part of this holy alliance against the forces of evil, when it would be better off leaving the Atlantic camp where too often an over simplified vision of the world prevails, reduced to fighting against the jihad, while ignoring its causes”. The way the Union manages the Euro-Mediterranean partnership is not spared either. The author concludes by outlining some daring possibilities that could be employed. Some very interesting themes to mull over from beginning to end. (MT)
*** CHRISTIAN PHILIP: L'Europe face au terrorisme. Quelle valeur ajoutée ? Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (Kiosque de l'Assemblée nationale, 4 rue Aristide Briand, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40636121 - Internet: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr ). "Les documents d'information de l'assemblée nationale" series, No. 2123. 2005, 100 pp., €5. ISBN 2-11-117756-3.
This report by French MP Christian Philip draws up a balance sheet of the anti-terrorist action carried out by the Union following the attacks on 11 September 2001 in the USA and after those in Madrid on 11 March 2004. He successfully underlines the setting up of the European arrest warrant but also the shortcomings, notably those involving exchange of information. In his recommendations, he calls for reinforced exchanges, as well as better use of Europol and Eurojust. He also suggests strengthening the role of Gijs de Vries, the first coordinator in the fight against terrorism. The author highlights the need to fight against the roots of terrorism while making sure that Member States permanently respect fundamental rights and public freedoms. Christian Philip demonstrates the added value of Union action in this field but at the same time requests greater consideration for using strengthened cooperation, “in a field where trust and working together, essential in the implementation of a sort of anti-terrorist Schengen, would b welcome”. (PBo)
*** LOUISE KUBELKA, MARCUS SCHIAN: Causa Kopftuch. Ein europäischer Vergleich. Europa-Kontakt Informations- und Verlagsgesellschaft mbH (29 Breite Straße 29, Haus der deutschen Wirtschaft, D-10178 Berlin, Germany. Tel: (49-30) 203084070 - fax: 203084077 - E-mail: eu-kontakt@t-online.de - Internet: http: //http://www.europa-kontakt.de ). 2004, 82p p., € 29.50. ISBN 3-9808024-5-0.
Veils and other headscarves for Muslim women , is a subject of controversial debate in France and Germany, as well as the legal provisions on this subject studied in detail and published by Europa-Kontakt, the Berlin publishers specialised in European affairs and practical information on the Union. Two legal experts - one from Germany, the other from Austria - present in a clear, precise and accessible manner to a wide audience, the legal situation, the political conflicts and the pragmatic solutions observed in the previous EU15. there are brief mentions of Switzerland and Turkey as well. This comparative panorama illustrates the different approaches and reactions from the public authorities as well as the public to this question. A useful glossary explains the different forms of scarf and other specific clothes for certain religions and cultures, as well as the Koranic text on the question of the veil. A rational read and very useful for a less heated and more informed debate on the veil. (PB)
*** ALMUT HÖFFERT, ARMANDO SALVATORE (Editors): Between Europe and Islam. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. E-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.net ). "Multiple Europe" series, No. 14. 2004, 216 p.. ISBN 90-5201-935-5.
This book initially studies the historical basis of the concept of modernity (in the contemporary and Western sense) in European and Islamic societies through the perception of Islam by the West during the renaissance, as well as the incorporation of this perception by Islamic societies themselves. It then shows how the concept of modernity was incorporated by Muslim societies, particularly the Arab, Iranian and Turkish worlds. The third part examines the construction of a trans-national identity in the context of immigration. This book shows in a fascinating way, how during the course of history, the mixed mechanisms of identification of “Self” in relation to the “Other” in a trans-cultural Mediterranean space was crucial in the birth of a European conscience and the idea of modernity. It therefore provides a reflection on the perception that we have of our own identities, removed from the theories of cultural relativism and the "clash of civilisations". (FRo)
*** Questions internationales. La Turquie et l'Europe. La Documentation française (124 rue Henri-Barbusse, F-93308 Aubervilliers Cedex. Tel: (33-1) 40157000 - fax: 40156800 - Internet: http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr ). March-April 2005, No. 12, 128 pp., € 9.50 subscription: € 50.
There has been a lot of talk about Turkey recently, in the specialist press as well as within the general public. The prospect of Union accession for this big country with a majority Muslim population, particularly in this period of relative religious polarisation, awakens fears and visions that sometimes go back to the epoch when the Ottoman empire was the “sick man of Europe”. In line with public fascination, numerous articles have appeared on the subject but are often focused on a facet of the question which in general reveal deep-seated preconceived ideas. There have therefore been a flourishing of articles such as ”Is Turkey Geographically European?” or “Can a Muslim State Join the European Union?” Sometimes rather clichéd, many of these publications only provide some of the picture and not a neutral one. This issue of “Questions Internationales” has chosen to pose the question calmly and elaborate with serenity the different dimensions of this candidacy. In the first part it provides a welcome reminder of Turkey's history and its European relations by analysing the states and stakes at play in the Turkish candidacy. It then looks at the different aspects of Turkey, such as the state and constitutional reforms, the political system and the economic system, as well as Turkey's role as a regional actor and its relations with Israel and the Cyprus question. The publication also contains relevant reference documents such as the conclusions of the European Council on the acceptability of opening accession negotiations and an Amnesty International report on human rights. This issue therefore is a good basis for those who want to go beyond the partisan polemic to understand what this European challenge really means. (FRo)
*** FRANCOIS BECET: Ben Ali et ses faux démocrates. Publisud (15 rue des Cinq-Diamants, F-75014 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 45807850 - fax: 45899415 - E-mail: edipublisud@wanadoo.fr - Internet: http://www.publisud.fr ). 2004, 150 p., 16 €. ISBN 2-86600-933-9.
A journalist on the newspaper "L'Alsace", François Bécet is in love with Tunisia. A country which he says is not, "completely perfect ", with political openness needing to be speeded up. But Tunisia in his eyes, is on the right track and president Ben Ali has succeeded in creating a “little dragon” and restoring the pride of the Tunisian people. The opposition would be wise to profit from this example. The result of many years of meetings with representatives from the authorities, opposition and civil society, the author aims to describe as honestly as possible, the life of this fascinating country and reveal its different aspect. However, as he acknowledges in his introduction “objectivity does not exist” and “neither does complete knowledge”.
(PBo)
*** V. AMINA YAGI: Droit musulman. Editions Publisud (see coordinates attached). Collection "Manuels 2000". 2004, 274 p., 34 €. ISBN 2-86600-942-8.
Professor of French- literature and French-speaking and Islamic studies at the University of Khartoum, V. Amina Yagi has edited an introductory book to Muslim law from the courses she has given at the Literature at the Islamic University of Omdurman in the Sudan. The first part of the book tackles the question of the “Fiqu” books based on Muslim law and “divine instruction”. The author is a convert to Islam and studies in some detail the issue of buying and selling. (PBo)
*** EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following documents:
*** Construire l'Europe politique. 50 propositions pour l'Europe de demain. 2004, 12 pp. ISBN 92-894-9007-1
Speaking about the triple crises - institutional, and territorial of the project affecting the Union, the former French minister for finance, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, affirms that "this crisis, although significantly threatening, is not the announcement of the death of the Union", explaining that , "it does not incite pessimism about its future. On the contrary, because it is the result of the formidable acceleration of European construction and which is, above all, a promise of life”. To face these challenges confronting the Union in this context, Dominique Strauss-Kahn as president of the Round Table “Sustainable Project for the Europe of Tomorrow”, set up by the previous Commission president, provides fifty proposals for building the political Europe of tomorrow. This calls for greater means of communication on the model of the common European society, which exists but which is not yet visible, better union response to economic and social challenges facing the Union, as well as the definition of a fair European policy that is more autonomous and anchored in political life. It also calls for the question on the Union's external borders to be more explicitly posed..
*** Revue du marché commun et de l'Union Européenne. Editions techniques et économiques (3 rue Soufflot, F-75005 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 55426131 - fax: 55426139- E-mail: editecom@starnet.fr - Internet: http: //http://www.editecom.com ). April 2005, No. 487, 61 pp. Subscription: € 202.
This issue of the review opens with an interview with Claudie Haigneré, French minister of European affairs, who speaks about the French information campaign in support of the European constitution, the Union's neighbourhood relations, the Bolkestein directive and trans-Atlantic ties. One of the articles presents the positive and negative points of the Constitutional Treaty and another looks at Union relations with the new independent States, particularly Ukraine, via strengthened trade relations. Other contributions focus on, for example, public-private partnerships or the consequences for the public health sectors from the Kohll and Decker affair in which the jurisprudence allowed for the health sector's non profit making and non economic activities to enter the economic domain.
*** Dokumente. Gesellschaft für übernationale Zusammenarbeit e.V. (86 Dottendorfer Straße, D-53129 Bonn. Tel. (Editors.): (49-2) 289239805 - fax (Editorial.): 28690385 - E-mail: kontakt@guez-dokumente.org - Internet: http://www.guez-dokumente.org ). April 2005, No. 2, 108 pp., 4.50 euros. Subscription: 18.90 euros.
This issue of the publication on Franco-German dialogue focuses on the issue of education and the stirrings within the French state education system. Several article tackle reforms being put forward. One article looks at the objective of getting 80% of all pupils to get the baccalaureate when half of these certificates are for technical subjects that do not allow for study in higher education. The publication also compares the situation of German and French teachers and the case of “Science Po” (political science), which disposes of regional antennas for better responding to internationalisation. Many other articles are also there is their usual format on social and cultural issues.
*** Südosteuropa Mitteilungen . Geschäftsstelle der Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft (49 Widenmayerstrasse. D-80538 München. Tel: (49-89) 21254-0 - fax: 2289469 - E-mail: suedosteuropa-gesellschaft@t-online.de - Internet: http://www.suedosteuropa-gesellschaft.com ). 2005, No. 1, 110 pp. 10 euros. Subscription: 50 euros.
This issue focuses on the Western Balkans and opens with a transcription of the speech by Boris Tadic, president of the Serbian Republic¸ and in which he underlines that the future of Serbia is contained in the values of European integration and that the country has to provide itself with a new constitution for meeting its challenges. Other contributions focus on the new dialogue within the former Yugoslavia and the progress made in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as the importance of foreign investment for growth in the Croatian tourist industry.
Reviews in brief
*** Forward. Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique. April 2005, Brussels. Published by the la FEB, this magazine addressed entrepreneurs and contains articles on current economic affairs, as well as career advice and advice on company management.