*** CARRY VON BUTTLAR: Das vereinigte Deutschland in der überregionalen Presse Frankreichs 1989 bis 1994. Kontinuität und Wandel französischer Deutschlandbilder. Duncker & Humblot (Postfach 410329, D-12113 Berlin. Tel/Fax: (49-30) 79000631 - Internet: http://www.duncker-humblot.de ). "Schriftenreihe der Gesellschat für Deutschlandforschung" series, No. 91. 2006, 372 pp. ISBN 3-428-12081-7.
This book addresses an issue rarely raised in discussions about the European project, namely the image of a Member State in the eyes of its neighbours, particularly in times of huge domestic political upheaval. The book looks at views of Germany that developed in France between 1989 and 1994, from the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the reunification of Germany in 1980 until the first general elections in the newly reunified Germany in 1994. The book is the revised version of a 2005 doctoral thesis for the Philosophy Faculty at Humboldt University in Berlin. The author has done some highly original research (consulting some 9,000 issues of newspapers) on how French opinion developed through four newspapers sold throughout France and representing different political trends, namely Le Monde, Le Figaro, La Croix and l'Humanité.
The book opens with a theoretical discussion of the development of images that public opinion forms of 'other people', of neighbouring countries and the different identity of a foreign community. In fact, the strength of prejudice and stereotypes that can be developed is rooted in the consciousness of a history that is both joint and different at the same time and it is true that the relations between France and Germany since the unification of the Prussian Empire at the time of Bismarck gave full rein to all types of exaggeration, although the reconciliation since 1950 and the two countries' partnership in building the European Union have hugely transformed public opinion on either side of the border. The quote from a French commentator cited by the author is also true, that Germany is both foreign and close, different and similar, monstrous and civilised, disconcerting and highly unpredictable (Alain-Gérard Slama, Le Figaro, 1 October 1990), and one wonders whether public opinion serves as a judgement or an alibi. The book, in any case, does not attempt to draw up an exhaustive theory to argue out the issues surrounding the development of national public opinion about other countries, but rather aims to help readers think about the issue.
Most of the book is given over to analysis of comments on events characterising the five years in question. These events of course, could not be totally foreign to France's own interests, as far as France was concerned, and the sixth chapter of the analysis looks in more detail at the evolution of Franco-German relations in a highly interesting manner. It starts by considering the ambivalent attitude of French President Francois Mitterrand who, during a visit to Kiev in December 1989, tried to get Russia (still the USSR at that point) to reject the idea of reunification of Germany. This was followed by a visit by the French President to the old East Germany (DDR) at the same time as the West German Chancellor was visiting the country, which gave rise to much controversy and debate on both sides and led to changes in public opinion. European cooperation would pick up during the same period, and the establishment of European armed forces, the adoption of the Maastricht Treaty and the Yugoslav crisis were not exactly conducive to balanced development of opinion. It is true that the weight of the reunified Germany was greater than that of a country that emerged beaten from the Second World War and the key role the country would go on to take in an EU that would be enlarged to admit countries in Eastern Europe changed the nature of relations established in the past. But Franco-German cooperation continued, although it would inevitably have to change in the face of the new size of the EU with 27 Member States. For this reason, the author argues in conclusion that the image of the new Germany in French public opinion is characterised by both continuity and change. A fascinating and extremely useful study, which should be extended to other countries in order to gain greater understanding of the transformation of mindsets that will be brought about by the European Union in the future.
Gabriel Fragnière
*** MARIE-THERESE BITSCH: La construction européenne. Enjeux politiques et choix institutionnels. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. email: pie@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "Euroclio" series, No. 39. 2007, 320 pp, €36-90. ISBN 978-90-5201-355-8
Emeritus Professor at Robert Schuman University in Luxembourg, historian Marie-Thérèse Bitsch is a prolific author whose books on the European project have won respect across the board. This new book adds even more shine to her intellectual contribution despite the fact that it is a collection of two dozen articles and essays already published in various publications over the past thirty years. This does not mean it is of less interest than other books, quite the contrary in fact, because the author looks in greater detail at the question of institutional choice which, in the past as much as the present, influences and even determines the political directions taken by the European project. Marie-Thérèse Bitsch clearly shows that the battle since the beginning between supporters of a supranational Europe or even a federal Europe and supporters of an inter-governmental entity can be traced back throughout history and, from this viewpoint, the battle will simply be repeated ad infinitum. The first part of the book looks at the Council of Europe, perverted - as far as the former are concerned - by the United Kingdom. The author writes that it is symptomatic of the Council of Europe that the field of activity in which it has gained the greatest notoriety, defence of human rights, is organised in a supranational manner through the role played by the European Court of Human Rights. She goes on to demonstrate that the alternative, due to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), was between inter-state organisations and supranational organisation, before moving to within the European Economic Community (which went on to become the European Union in the form in which it gradually took shape due to the innovations in the 1970s, the Delors years and the end of the Cold War). The book is bursting with useful facts, figures and anecdotes. Did you know, for example, that Robert Schuman wanted the Council of Europe to be called the 'European Union'? And it was because of London that Strasbourg became the headquarters of the Council of Europe? This even encouraged Paul Reynaud to ask whether the British government had suggested Strasbourg with the aim of sending the Assembly into exile in a province far-flung from the Paris media, which was the press most able to give it the visibility it desired. Did you know that the British tried to undermine the ECSC project by suggesting a coal and steel pooling idea as part of the Council of Europe? Did you know that it was the German media that gave France the idea of agreeing to the creation of a single Commission as long as Paris became the European capital? These are some of the fascinating facts gleaned from reading this book. The volume demonstrates above all that the different views of the construction of Europe are omnipresent in the history of the EU and the challenges are not different today. Hence the urgent need for politicians to learn the lessons because, as Prof. Michel Dumoulin notes in the preface, by rejecting such a very recent past, by ignoring the huge hue and cry that European projects gave rise to, and the failures and setbacks they underwent, our epoch will turn into the biggest shambles ever.
(MT)
*** DOMINIQUE REYNIE (Ed.): L'opinion européenne en 2008. Editions Lignes de Repères (3 rue de Téhéran, F-75008 Paris). 2008, 239 pp, €19. ISBN 978-2-915752-33-5.
This is the ninth issue of this book, vital reading for anyone interested directly or indirectly in the opinions, attitudes and behaviour of people in Europe. Edited by Dominique Reynié, professor at the 'Institut d'Etudes Politiques' in Paris, some twenty authors from various horizons have contributed articles on key subjects of European current events, like the economy, energy, protectionism, enterprise, taxation, globalisation, the Union for the Mediterranean, politics and elections, with the aim of setting European issues against as wide a backdrop as possible. For the first time, the book is supplemented by a series of soundings on a raft of diverse issues, providing a multitude of information about the habits of Europeans in a both anecdotal and academic style. For example, on page 33, the favourite destinations of Erasmus students; page 157, attitudes to smoking; page 207, integrating of immigrants; page 227, asylum seekers, etc. There are umpteen different issues for readers to discover in a highly enjoyable read (in French).
A few months ahead of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU and a year ahead of the next European elections (where turnout is already a cause for concern), this user-friendly book should be frequently consulted by readers aware of their rights and duties. The introduction by Dominique Reynié is of particular interest because it summarises and comments on the most recent Eurobarometer opinion polls, concluding that most Europeans want the Europeanization of public service, however confused they may be about it, because they doubt the ability of their own country to deal with globalisation alone. In order words, whatever various nationalities or political parties may think, the world out there tends to back Europe for the next few years. It is now up to European leaders to take this on board and ensure other people understand the objectives they are aiming to achieve, as the 'founding fathers' of Europe did in the 1950s.
(J-RR)
*** HANS KRISTOFERITSCH: Vom Staatenbund zum Bundesstaat? Die Europäische Union im Vergleich mit den USA, Deutschland und der Schweiz. Springer (P.O. Box 89, 4-6 Sachsenplätz, A-1201 Vienna. Fax: (43-1) 3302426 - Internet: http://www.springer.at ). "Europainstitut Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Schriftenreihe" series, No. 27. 2007, 366 pp. ISBN 978-3-211-35201-4.
Jacques Delors once described the European Union as an unidentified political object. Some people believe the EU operates as a federal structure but other observers comment that nobody says this in public because the Brits can't stand the word 'federation' and, according to other commentators, because the French don't know what federalism actually means! This book tries to put an end to this confusion and one hopes that it will soon be available in English and French. The author is certain that the EU is based on a 'confederate' structure that is destined to become a 'federation'. This means, therefore, that unlike what many people claim, the EU is a sui generis political reality. The author starts by providing a historical, theoretical and cultural analysis of a number of alignments between states in the history of Europe, describing the birth, evolution and constitutional structure of three existing federal states - the United States, Germany and Switzerland - stressing that in each of them, 'confederal' alignment led to the establishment of a genuine 'federation'. He then makes a historical analysis of the evolution of the European project, comparing many of its developments with the history of the three above-mentioned federations. This leads him to conclude that the European Union really is a 'confederation' (Staatenbund) that is verging on a process of becoming a true 'federation'(Bundesstaat). This is not a new theory, as any European federalist will tell you, but the serious nature and sheer scale of the author's analysis has to be recognised, along with the high quality of his arguments. I recommend this book most highly.
(GFr)
*** DEVORAH KALEKIN-FISHMAN, PIRKKO PITKANEN (Eds.): An Emerging Institution? Multiple Citizenship in Europe - Views of Officials. Editions Peter Lang (32 Hochfeldstrasse, Postfach 746, CH-3000 Bern 9. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - Fax: 3761727 - email: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "European University Studies - Europäische Hochschulsschriften - Publication Universitaires Européennes", No. 419. 2008, 269 pp, €50-70. ISBN 978-3-03911-480-1.
Double and triple nationality and the citizenship problems that can arise from this are discussed by two educational science researchers in this book. The issue is certainly not new, but it has been growing in scale since the Schengen Agreements, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rising levels of immigration to the West. The authors therefore decided to ask government officials and civil servants from eight countries how they see the issue and their attitudes to people with, or requesting, double nationality. It is in fact the sometimes emotional responses of these people that will determine the fate of people requesting double nationality - to a much greater extent than the laws themselves. The researchers used questionnaires and interviews to poll officials in countries like Finland, Greece, Portugal and Israel with the aim of providing decision-makers with new ways of solving the problems they face to an ever greater extent (military service, taxation, loyalty, etc) and contribute to the definition of citizenship, a notion in flux.
(NDu)
*** JOSE MARIA MARAVALL, IGNACIO SANCHEZ-CUENCA (Eds.): Controlling Governments. Voters, Institutions and Accountability. Cambridge University Press (The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK. Tel: (44-1223) 326050 - Fax: 326111 - email: directcustserve@cambridge.org - Internet: http://www.cambridge.org ). "Cambridge Studies In The Theory Of Democracy" series. 2008, 311 pp, £18-99. ISBN 978-0-521-71110-4.
This vast research on voting mechanisms in Western democracies by a director and political science professor at the Juan March Institute in Madrid is highly theoretical, looking at the way citizens use their right to vote to influence and control the parties in power. We discover, for example, that the fact of being in power is not necessarily beneficial for a political party, that governments are judged differently depending on whether they are on the left or the right, and ideological votes are seen as voting on the cheap because they mean the voter does not have to bother to examine the candidate's real achievements. The authors go on to examine the situation of ethnic parties, which do not seem to depend on any great performance during their period in office to ensure people keep voting for them. The book also looks at the potential political consequences of division within parties. A detailed book that will be of great interest to theoreticians and students of politics, and any other person with a genuine interest in the future of democracy.
(NDu)