With the 2004 enlargement, the European Union ( E. U) has expanded to twenty-five member states and a total population of 450 million. The new Union faces a daunting policy agenda that includes finalizing the controversial European Constitution, managing further enlargement to countries in southeastern Europe, deciding whether to offer membership to Turkey, overcoming strains over trade, environmental issues, and policy toward the Middle East to build a new, post-Cold War relationship with the United States, and making sure that the enlargement itself is a success. In this timely and accessible text, John Van Oudenaren explores how a political and economic union this large and diverse can hold together and accomplish the policy tasks that matter to its citizens: sustaining economic growth, dealing with aging populations and the costs of pensions and health care, raising living standards in poorer regions, preserving the environment, coping with the problems of immigration and political instability on Europe's borders, and facing the challenges of globalization. To reach these goals, the author argues that the E.U. must build on its existing achievements: the single market, the common currency, and harmonized policies. At the same time, the Union must reform its decision-making processes and find ways to balance the needs of its member states and the competing demands of different interest groups. How the E.U. will evolve is still unclear; there is no precise blueprint for its future. But the historic attempt to unite Europe will have enormous implications not only for Europe itself, but for the United States as a key ally, trading partner, and, on occasion, rival. By providing an overview of the Union's institutions, laws, and policies, Van Oudenaren provides a solid foundation for understanding its history and emergence as a global economic and political power.

Uniting Europe: An Introduction to the European Union (Europe Today)

Van Oudenaren, John

Foreign & International Law

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

The monumental events in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union must be understood, Jan Van Oudenaren argues, in the context of a process of East-West détente begun in 1953 in the aftermath of Stalin’s death. Van Oudenaren’s comprehensive and timely study examines the development of Soviet-Western détente from the death of Stalin to the unification of Germany.In redefining détente as a process, rather than a code of conduct, Van Oudenaren looks to its origins in Soviet policy earlier than previously identified and analyzes both its history and character. His study explores the restoration of four-power negotiations in Germany and Austria in the mid-1950s, their subsequent breakdown in the Berlin crisis, their unexpected revival in 1990 in the form of “two plus four” talks on German unity, and the future of the Soviet Union as a European power.Among the key elements of détente discussed are diplomacy, particularly the role of summit conferences; cooperation among parliaments, political parties, and trade unions; arms control; economic relations; and links among cultural institutions, churches, and peace movements.

Detente in Europe: The Soviet Union & The West Since 1953 (Guides to European Diplomatic History)

History

Americas

Duke University Press Books

Detente in Europe: The Soviet Union & The West Since 1953

Europe

As the European Union (EU) introduces its new currency, the euro, it has embarked on an equally ambitious new venture: enlarging to include ten or more of the former communist countries of central and eastern Europe along with Cyprus and Malta. If enlargement proceeds as envisioned, the EU of the twenty-first century could have as many as thirty countries and a population nearly double that of the United States. In this timely and accessible text, John Van Oudenaren explores whether a political and economic union this large and diverse can hold together and whether it can accomplish the policy tasks that matter to its citizens: sustaining economic growth and reducing unemployment, raising living standards in poorer regions, preserving the environment, and coping with the problems of immigration and political instability on EuropeOs borders. To reach these goals, the author argues that the EU must build on its existing achievements_the single market, the common currency, and common policies in many areas. At the same time, the union must reform its institutions and decision making processes and find ways to balance the needs of its member states and the competing demands of different interest groups. How the EU will evolve is still unclear; there is no precise blueprint for its future. But the historic attempt to unite Europe will have enormous implications not only for Europe itself, but for the United States as a key European ally, trading partner, and on occasion rival. By providing an overview of the UnionOs institutions, laws, and policies, Van Oudenaren provides a solid foundation for understanding its history and emergence as a global economic_and political_power.

Uniting Europe

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

Deterrence, war-fighting, and Soviet military doctrine (Adelphi papers)

International Institute for Strategic Studies

Through the lens of James Billington and the institution he led as Librarian of Congress during a key period of US-Russian relations, The Geopolitics of Culture examines culture as a neglected area of US foreign policy. Billington advised presidents and members of Congress and mobilized the resources of the Library of Congress to promote reform in Russia. He believed that rather than preaching to the Russians, the United States should expose the rising generation of Russian leaders to what was best in America and encourage them to rediscover positive elements in pre-Bolshevik Russian culture. The Geopolitics of Culture is the first book to chronicle Billington's influence on US engagement with Russia as it transitioned from communism to democracy under Gorbachev and Yeltsin and back to authoritarianism under Yeltsin and Putin. Drawing on published and archival sources (including recently released papers) and interviews with current and retired Library of Congress staff members, John Van Oudenaren casts new light on this era. Billington's efforts led to a remarkable degree of cooperation between the Library of Congress and Russian cultural and political institutions. Yet these efforts ultimately failed as Putin turned back toward authoritarianism. The experience of the Library of Congress during this period nonetheless holds important lessons for today. Billington believed that a transition to democracy in Russia was essential if the United States was to head off the geopolitical nightmare of a Eurasia dominated by an alliance of hostile authoritarian powers. The "geopolitics of culture" thus remains a challenge for US foreign policy.

The Geopolitics of Culture: James Billington, the Library of Congress, and the Failed Quest for a New Russia (NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies)

Northern Illinois University Press

Geopolitics Of Culture

Ithaca [new York] : Northern Illinois University Press, An Imprint Of Cornell University Press

Crisis and Renewal: An Introduction to the European Union (Europe Today)

Review\nThis highly readable volume is a foundational text. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Europe’s radical experiment in ‘ever closer Union’—and its ongoing challenges. -- Daniel S. Hamilton, Johns Hopkins University and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars\nJohn Van Oudenaren provides an outstanding historical as well as analytical account of Europe’s remake as a union. This is a much-needed tool for students seeking to understand how a recast Europe works. It will also be a valuable reference for practitioners who need to understand how the European Union will help to write the story of the new century and will shape current and future trends in transatlantic relations.” 
-- Simon Serfaty, emeritus, Old Dominion University\nMagisterial. Anyone looking to get a deeper understanding of Europe’s decade of crises and various attempts at renewal would do well to read John Van Oudenaren’s Crisis and Renewal. In this superb account of European integration, the author thoughtfully unpacks both the history and multiple layers of Europe’s evolving supranational polity and charts a compelling course for the European project to flourish in the twenty-first century. -- Matthias Matthijs, Johns Hopkins University\nThis clear and comprehensive introduction to the European Union considers its development through the theme of crisis and renewal. John Van Oudenaren describes EU institutions and policies, both historically and as they relate to current events. He traces the renewal of the EU that was underway at the end of the 2010s following the euro, migration, and Brexit crises and the health, economic, and political crisis that subsequently hit the Union with unexpected force in the coronavirus pandemic of 2020–2021. Exploring how institutions and policies are adapting to unprecedented political, economic, and geopolitical challenges, the author focuses on two key EU priorities—digitization and the transition to a carbon neutral future. These, he argues, are both intrinsic policy goals and the means by which the Union hopes to ensure its revitalization and its emergence as a “sovereign” power, taking its place alongside the United States and China as one of the big three players in global politics. Explaining the different theoretical perspectives used to understand the EU, the book gives students the tools they need to assess whether the Union is on a path to recovery and renewal.

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Books by Van Oudenaren, John