Europe
March 1997

March Article Abstracts

Title: Bosnia after Dayton: Year Two
Author: Susan L. Woodward
"The most likely compromise between the current reality in Bosnia and the goal of Dayton is an extremely weak, fragile, and relatively unstable country-a country in name and international recognition only without a central capacity to manage trade and finance, one that might continue to demand external assistance and protection for a long time."

Title: Chirac and France: Prisoners of the Past?
Author: George Ross
"Legislative elections must take place by 1998 and, based on current trends, [President Jacques] Chirac could lose his majority in parliament. . . In the wings are politicians who have made distinctly anti-Maastricht and anti-emu noises. Will Chirac try out 'another politics' to save his majority? Is there another politics?"

Title: Italy at a Turning Point
Author: Patrick McCarthy
"[Prime Minister Romano] Prodi must overcome the distrust of the state that has plagued Italy ever since Cavour and Garibaldi. . .unified the country little more than a century ago. This year may be decisive, the one in which the process of reform either succeeds or fails."

Title: United Germany in an Integrating Europe
Author: Peter J. Katzenstein
"Why does Germany, the most powerful state in Europe, appear bent on giving up voluntarily its newly won sovereign power?" Part of the answer, Peter Katzenstein argues, is that the "Germans have eliminated the concept of 'power' from their political vocabulary. They speak the language of 'political responsibility' instead."

Title: The Politics of European Monetary Union
Author: James E. Dougherty
As Europe moves closer to fiscal union and a single currency, it confronts a spectrum of national anxieties and practical concerns. For now, James Dougherty argues, the prospects for union appear strong, but with a caveat: "Prediction is a perilous task. . .when the basic political and economic interests of 15 states are at stake."

Title: Toward a Secure Europe
Author: Jane M. O. Sharp
"Peace in Europe depends as much on political stability and economic prosperity as on arms control arrangements. The enlargement of both nato and the European Union eastward is thus the most important way to share the benefits of the Western security community. But this is a necessarily slow process. . . In the shorter term, arms control diplomacy can play an important role in building trust and confidence between former warring factions."

Title: The Struggle to Democratizethe Slovak Republic
Author: Mary Ann TŽtreault and Robin L. Teske
"It is true that the people in transition states 'need time' to adjust to more open societies. But the people who seem to need the most time and the most help with adjustment are not the citizens but the political leaders and intellectuals who are so critical of them."