Werner Wiedenfeld Livres

The radical change in Eastern Europe is a chance for the whole continent. However, the transformation processes are taking very different courses in Central and Eastern European states. In order to support them efficiently, and prevent incalculable risks, the West must adapt its Ostpolitik to the specific needs of the individual regions. A strategy for enlargement is required for the ten associated states of Central and Eastern Europe. This strategy is to strengthen the reform states' own efforts by distinct measures and increase the enlargement capacity of the European Union. In the Balkans, extensive security guarantees and concrete offers of integration must help to create the preconditions for modernization and the development of civil societies. A strategy for partnership and cooperation, which assists the establishment of democracy and market economy and links the region to an enlarged Europe, is needed for Russia and the CIS. This book presents an overall approach by merging these elements. By designing a new Ostpolitik , it opens perspectives for a Europe without new divides.

The transformation of security, economic, and social structures in the Middle East and North Africa has taken on a new dimension. This transitional period represents a difficult challenge for the powers outside the Middle East that are involved in the as “third parties,” there are substantial limitations to the amount of influence that they can exert, yet they have a vital interest in the establishment of peace and stability in the region. The European Union is also caught up in this conflicting situation. A comprehensive program in the Mediterranean region has been launched by the EU to support the progress of changes in the Middle East. This book identifies the factors that stand in the way of constructing stable political and economic structures.

With the easing of the East-West conflict, the weak links in the transatlantic relationship have become very apparent. Europe and America must now find a new form for their relations. According to the author, what is needed is an agenda that can sustain the partnership and take it into the next century--one that takes into account the new coordinates of world politics and the fundamental changes that have penetrated society and political life on both sides of the Atlantic.Werner Weidenfeld sets out a practical timetable for the strengthening of transatlantic ties. It includes the devising of a new agenda for security policy, the creation of a free trade area between Europe and America, and the founding of a transatlantic learning community. The strength of this book lies in its revelation of the ambivalent side of this relationship, therefore providing an unembellished picture and avoiding either distortion or pathos.

The purpose of the European Constitution is to make the European Union more democratic and more accessible to its citizens, and to enable it to function more effectively. The burgeoning EU is no longer governable through the Treaties as they stand. Yet the document that politicians have hailed as “historic” is needlessly complicated, and virtually incomprehensible to ordinary people. This was one of the main reasons why the citizens of France and the Netherlands rejected the constitution in their referenda. The European Constitution marks the starting point for a renewed debate about Europe. This book makes it easier to understand both the Constitution and the EU in general. Using accessible language, it guides the reader through the complicated subject matter step by step. Concise tables explain the genesis of the Constitution, its structure, the changes that it will bring about, and how decisions in the EU will be made in the years to come. Those who wish to play a part in shaping the future of Europe need to be familiar with the basic foundations of the European Union, and this demands an understanding of the European Constitution.

Europe and America are currently experiencing the demise of what had been taken for granted in transatlantic relations for over 50 years. Their relationship has been sucked into the vortex of the global political upheaval that followed the terrorist attacks of 9/11. They are now faced with the task of finding new answers to the geopolitical social, economic, and political challenges that have emerged. As the German administration's coordinator for German- American cooperation, Werner Weidenfeld has played a vital role in shaping transatlantic politics for many years. At the same time, he has observed and analyzed them as a political scientist. It is this unique double perspective that Weidenfeld brings to his book. Reviewing Europe's and America's common history, he shows the problems and challenges of transatlantic cooperation and outlines possible ways of improving it. For Weidenfeld, one thing is Europe and America will have to make a conscious choice. Either they continue to be "partners at odds" —or they arrive at a new strategic realism to shape the 21st century jointly.