Involving both integration and liberalization, the state of telecommunications in Europe has undergone radical change in the past few years. Natalicchi (political science, U. of Florence, Italy) examines the external and internal forces of change originating from international, national, and European Union levels. He argues that the EU is a polycentric and multilayered polity and that multiple mechanisms determine integrative steps and policy outcomes. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Europe's critical infrastructure is a key concern to policymakers, NGOs, companies, and citizens today. A 2006 power line failure in northern Germany closed lights in Portugal in a matter of seconds. Several Russian-Ukrainian gas crises shocked politicians, entrepreneurs, and citizens thousands of kilometers away in Germany, France, and Italy. This book argues that present-day infrastructure vulnerabilities resulted from choices of infrastructure builders in the past. It inquires which, and whose, vulnerabilities they perceived, negotiated, prioritized, and inscribed in Europe's critical infrastructure. It does not take 'Europe' for granted, but actively investigates which countries and peoples were historically connected in joint interdependency, and why. In short, this collection unravels the simultaneous historical shaping of infrastructure, common vulnerabilities, and Europe.
This book focuses on the historical configuration of the territorial borders and functional boundaries of the European nation state. It presents integration as a process of boundary transcendence, redefinition, shift, and change that fundamentally alters the nature of the European states. Its core concern lies in the relationship between the specific institutional design of the new Brussels centre, the boundary redefinitions that result from its political production, and, finally,the consequences of these two elements on established and developing national European political structures. Integration is examined as a new historical phase in the development of Europe, characterized by a powerful trend toward legal, economic, and cultural de-differentiation after the five-centuryprocess of differentiation that led to the European system of nation states.Considering the EU as the formation of an enlarged territorial system, this work recovers some of the classic issues of political modernization theory: Is the EU an attempt at state formation? Is it an attempt at centre formation without nation building? Is it a process of centre formation without democratization?This work also seeks to sharpen the conceptual tools currently available to deal with processes of territorial enlargement and unification. It develops a theoretical framework for political structuring beyond the nation state, capable of linking all aspects of EU integration (inter-governmentalism, definition of rights, the 'constitutionalization' of treaties, the tensions between the new territorial hierarchy and the nation states, etc.). The book adopts an 'holistic' approach to integration,in the form of a theory from which hypotheses can be generated (even if it is not possible to test all of its components). This theoretical framework has three principal aims: to overcome a rigid distinction between domestic politics and international relations; to link actors' orientations,interests, and motivations with macro outcomes; and to relate structural profiles with dynamic processes of change.
Witch's Honour concludes the lyrical, richly atmospheric and enthralling tale begun in Prospero's Children and continued in The Dragon-Charmer. Spellbinding in its depiction of places both familiar and strange, of characters both magical and sinister, it is classic English fantasy at its finest. He sat outside the light. Neither moonbeam nor starfire reached his unseen features. All she could see was the hint of a glimmer in narrowed eyes. Perhaps he smiled. 'I knew you would come to me,' he said, 'in the end.' It is New Year's Eve, and the start of the third millennium, and in celebration tonight the ancient house of Wrokeby will host a masked ball. However, among the invited guests in their exotic finery walks one who does not belong. A witch has come to Wrokeby, seeking power, seeking revenge. Her first victim is Dana Walgrim, daughter of the host, who suddenly collapses at the party, dead to the world. Dana is plunged into a mysterious coma, and her brother, Lucas, is losing hope until he learns of a similar case. The patient's name is Fernanda Capel. Suppressing her wild talents, Fern has established a successful career in PR. But the magic of the Gift will not so easily be laid aside, and now she is plagued by a recurring nightmare: of being drawn to the pinnacle of an immense Dark Tower to meet a flame-eyed shadow-figure, and signing an unholy alliance in blood. Lucas tracks Fern down; but when they meet she is convinced that they have met before... Intrigued, Fern decides to help Lucas save his sister. With the aid of her brother, Will, her friend, Gaynor, and the enigmatic Ragginbone, Fern draws upon all her power as a witch to try to bring Dana back. Fern and Lucas soon find themselves in a deadly confrontation with the new occupant of Wrokeby. As the stakes are raised, and losses are sustained on both sides, she discovers that appearances are deceptive, and that not everyone is to be trusted. And perhaps this time, Fern will find herself engaged in a battle she cannot win.
With euro banknotes and coins starting to circulate as of January 2002, this timely book comes at a crucial juncture for the European Union. Exploring the origins of and progress toward the introduction of the euro, the contributors focus on the importance of economic and monetary union (EMU) as part of the larger process of European integration. Thus, chapters consider the value and limits of a range of theoretical approaches for understanding economic and monetary integration, the pros and cons of EMU's institutional design, and country-specific experiences. With an international group of leading scholars representing a range of disciplines, this book offers a broad perspective on the dynamics of EMU.
