*** ALI AYATA: Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik der Türquei 1970 - 2005. Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - Fax: 3761727 - e-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "Europäische Hochschulsschriften - Publications universitaires européennes - European University Studies", No. 539. 2007, 208 pp, €36-40. ISBN 3-631-56259-4.
The sub-title of this PhD thesis submitted by a politics student of Turkish origin at Vienna University in 2006 is: "Turkey's transformation into a modern state and its importance for the international community". At a time when Turkey's membership of the European Union is controversial and complex and matters are often simplified by hard-liners, sometimes due to fear of the unknown but usually simply due to ignorance, this book is timely. It covers a critical period, 1970 to 2005, when Turkey moved from being a more-or-less secondary country on the international stage to a crucial dynamic force in the region due to its new role under NATO. A quotation from Udo Steinbach (who has written a history of Turkey in the twentieth century, describing it as a difficult partner for Europe) starts the book and provides a good illustration of this shift: "You only need to glance at a map to understand that Turkey directly faces all the areas of conflict that have existed since the end of the Cold War. Turkey is involved geographically, ethnically and politically with the problems in Iraq, Iran, the Armenians, Azerbaijan, the Persians, Cyprus, Greece, Bulgarians, Russia, Tajikistan, Syria and Islamic fundamentalism. All it lacks is a border with Chechnya. Whichever way you turn, Turkish foreign policy is a nightmare"…
Ali Ayata's book attempts to marshal the facts to help readers understand the way Turkey is trying to cope with this nightmare at a time when Turkish society is being shaken from within by the reforms required by the European Union following Turkey's request to join the EU fold. The country is in fact being pulled towards three different poles of attraction - central Asia due to cultural and ethnic links with Turkish-speaking republics since the fall of the Soviet empire; the neighbouring Middle East, where Turkey could play a decisive role due to its size and dynamism; and Europe, in whose direction it seems the most motivated at the moment, offering security to the West. The author shows how Turkey has to take account, when facing each of these options, of the economic and security issues involved. It is not possible to summarise here the wealth of analysis provided in the book, which certainly a must-read for anyone trying to understand the true issues and challenges at stake in the debate about Turkey's membership of the European Union. The book also helps readers understand what Turkey's EU membership (or lack of membership) would mean for the EU itself, and how it could radically transform the EU's foreign policy in the region. Gabriel Fragnière
*** ALAIN TERRENOIRE: Les Balkans occidentaux et l'Union européenne. Direction des Journaux officiels (26 rue Desaix, F-75727 Paris cedex 15. Tel: (33-1) 45791784 - E-mail: info@journal-officiel.gouv.fr - Internet: http://www.journal-officiel.gouv.fr ). "Avis et Rapports du Conseil économique et social" series. 2007, 76 pp, €7-20. ISBN 978-2-11-120758-5.
With tension simmering in the Kosovo region, this short study by a member of the French Economic and Social Council describes the long road trodden by Western Balkans states in their efforts to join the European Union, along with the positive and negative aspects of the countries in question. (PBo)
*** LISHENG DONG, GUNTER HEIDUK (Eds.): The EU's Experience in Integration. A Model for ASEAN+3? Peter Lang (see above). 2007, 358 pp, €52-90. ISBN 978-3-03911-429-0.
Written by researchers from all four corners of Asia following a conference in Shanghai in January 2006, this book contributes to existing studies on the rise of regionalism, looking at whether ASEAN+3 will follow the example of the European integration experience. It starts from the oft-repeated mantra that although the EU can be seen as an innovative model and a precursor of regional integration, a strategy copying this model to avoid negative experiences seems over simplistic. The book has fifteen essays comparing and contrasting the politics, economies, history, geography and social and cultural differences of the two regions. It is divided into four sections - a comparative study of the two regions, a study of the European model looking at whether it can be applied to other regions, an attempt to discern the best integration path for Asia, and an over-arching study of regional integration and its compatibility with multilateralism. This highly comprehensive research provides invaluable insight into malfunctions in the Asian system - the difficulties with reconciling Japan and China, the lack of a hard core to catalyse integration, ineffective financial integration and the need for greater political convergence - while trying to find solutions to ensure that ASEAN+3 can become a true regional power. (TBa)
*** YVES BOURDET, JOAKIM GULLSTRAND, KARIN OLOFSDOTTER (Eds.): The European Union and Developing Countries. Trade, Aid and Growth in an Integrating World. Edward Elgar Publishing (Glensanda House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham, Glos, GL50 1UA, UK. Tel: (44-1242) 226934 - Fax: 262111 - e-mail: info@e-elgar.co.uk - Internet: http://www.e-elgar.com ). 2007, 223 pp. ISBN 978-1-84542-246-2.
This book looks at the European Union as the main trading partner and source of aid for developing countries, explaining the impact of the aid, which the authors say is a topical question for at least three reasons: problems meeting the Doha Trade Round targets; serious immigration pressure from developing countries and the urgent need to solve the related problems (weak economic performance in developing countries); and the need for political leaders and civil society organisations to assess the impact of the aid. Commenting that 'the European trade and aid policy towards developing countries is at a crossroads', this collection of essays takes account of the changes in policy currently under way. Divided into nine chapters on different issues, it examines key questions like the impact of European aid preferences on partner countries' exports; comparing and contrasting EU and US aid; the impact of changes in the EU's sugar regime on developing countries; assessing the EU's policy of promoting regional development; etc. More generally, the final chapter studies the ability of EU aid to stimulate growth in developing countries. An interesting and instructive book. (TBa)
*** MARC TORSTEN HAUSMANN: Das Cotonou-Handelsregime und das Recht der WTO. Peter Lang (see above). 2006, 228 pp, €39-70. ISBN 3-631-55278-5.
The two main principles upon which the action of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is based are the most favoured nation clause (whereby all WTO members must treat their trading partners and all other WTO members as most favoured nations) and the granting of reciprocal benefits, which totally contradict the Cotonou Treaty signed in 2000 (but with a long tradition stretching back much longer than that) between the European Union and ACP states (countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific). In this detailed book looking at whether the two ideological systems and measures can co-exist, the author starts with a brief explanation of the history of the Cotonou Accords and a legal analysis of the agreements that went before. The bulk of the book is given over to examining the compatibility of the Cotonou trading system with GATT and WTO rules. It therefore examines measures on customs union and regional agreements, and provisions recognising the importance of supporting the development of the poorest countries, the agreement allowing the introduction of a system to favour developing countries and the waiver system. Detailed information about a controversial subject often in the news these days. (MG)
*** NATHALIE DELAPALME, ELISE COLETTE: Union européenne / Afrique: le partenariat stratégique. Fondation Robert Schuman (29 bd Raspail, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 53638300 - Fax: 53638301 - E-mail: info@robert-schuman.eu - Internet: http://www.robert-schuman.eu ). "Notes de la Fondation Robert Schuman" series. 2007, 64 pp, €10. ISBN 978-2-917433-02-7.
This book is written by two experts. Finance inspector Nathalie Delapalme advised the Quai d'Orsay in Paris for a long time on African issues, NEPAD and the French-speaking world and Elise Colette has been working as a reporter for the "Jeune Afrique" magazine since 2002. After describing the colonial background to the EU's sometimes incestuous relationship with Africa, the authors comment that the two continents are now moving towards a more balanced partnership (as was seen at the December 2007 Lisbon Summit) based on awareness of a mutually beneficial future. This 'joint strategy', however, has not yet been properly implemented and could mean partners in both continents having to face their own contradictions at the very time that Europe's 'historic monopoly' in Africa is being broken by China, India, Latin America, Gulf States and Iran, not to mention the United States. It is against this backdrop that the authors argue that the security of the European continent and its ability to ensure strong, sustainable growth, will be immediately and closely contingent on the development and stability of the African continent. Which means that the EU will have to stop being disunited... (MT)
*** GERARD CAHIN, FLORENCE POIRAT, SANDRA SZUREK (Eds.): Ouverture. Editions Pedone (13 rue Soufflot, F-75005 Paris). "La France et le droit international" series, No. 1. 2007, 391 pp, €35. ISBN 978-2-233-00519-9.
This new collection of essays compares the theory of international law with the facts of international law in the light of French foreign legal policy. The essays by practitioners, high-ranking civil servants and academics paint a picture of French international law practices in various domains - treaty law, the law of the sea, the law of international business relations, international liability, peace-keeping laws and international human rights law. In the final section, entitled "La France, la souveraineté et l'Europe", Jean-Pierre Cot analyses French views at the European Convention and Prof. Emmanuelle Jouannet (of 'Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne') constructs a theory of the state, its legal status and sovereignty. (MT)
*** AHMED TESSA: Algérie. Histoire d'une construction spatiale: 1960-2005. 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.hautefort.com ). "Le développement dans les faits" series. 2007, 127 pp, €24. ISBN 978-2-86600-886-3.
Dean of the Business Science and Management Faculty of Mouloud Mammeri University at Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, Ahmed Tessa looks in this book at the role of town and country planning in contributing to Algeria's economic development. (PBo)
*** CARLOS DE CUETO NOGUERAS, ABDELKADER SID AHMED (Eds.): Droits Humains et diversité ethnoculturelle dans l'espace euroméditerranéen: réalités et perspectives. Editions Publisud (see above). 2007, 272 pp, €29. ISBN 978-2-86600-846-8.
Following on from a series of human rights roundtables organised by the Euro-Arab Higher Education Foundation in Granada (Spain) with financial backing from the Spanish foreign ministry, this book of essays in French and Spanish looks at ethnic and cultural diversity and minorities in Mediterranean society and certain countries of the EU. The book starts by looking at minority groups in North African states as a challenge to regional security, particularly in countries where the Berber question reaches levels of intolerance verging on political violence at times. The authors go on to look at the situation in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, and then turn to study the impact of Turkey's way of addressing culture and religion on its image in the European Union. In the third part of the book, the authors look at Northern Ireland, nationalism and minorities in Spain (focussing on the Basque Country), management of ethnic and cultural diversity in Italy and the situation facing young Muslims in France. (MT)