I jeszcze jedna książka, której warto poświęcić kilka słów. Autorem jest Prof. Loukas Tsoukalis, którego wcześniejsze książki - m. in. The new European economy (1993) czy The new European economy revisited (1997) - przez wiele lat były lekturami obowiązkowymi na kursach ekonomicznych w Kolegium. Tym razem chodzi o
Europe's Coming of Age / Loukas Tsoukalis. Cambridge ; Hoboken : Polity Press, 2023. viii, 256 pages : 24 cm. ISBN 9781509554553 [Call No. 46641],
a zainteresowany czytelnik znajdzie poniżej spis treści i informacje z okładki. W pierwszym rozdziale jest nostalgiczne wspomnienie, którego nie sposób pominąć (s. 9):
"I discovered Europe as a political entity - or rather a political entity in the making - as a young student at the College of Europe in Bruges back in the early 1970s. The College was then more a breeding ground for missionaries of the European idea, as we used to call it in those days, than the training centre for well-qualified, multilingual professionals that it was to become in subsequesnt tears. [...] The European history I had been taught previously was mostly about kings and queens, revolutions, wars and imperial conquests. In Bruges, I discovered that some Europeans had begun in the decades following the Second World War to write a totally different chapter in European history: it was about peace and reconcilliation between old foes, cooperation and the opening of borders."
I jeszcze jeden cytat w nawiązaniu do The Bruges Speech (tutaj i tutaj):
"I remember Margaret Thatcher's famous Bruges speech delivered at the College of Europe in 1988. At the end of the official ceremony in the impressive Gothic Hall in Bruges, we all listened to the 'Ode of Joy' from Beethoven's ninth symphony, which serves as the European anthem, and we all stood up, Tjatcher included - she had no other option. Her people had earlier tried in vain to ban both European flag and anthem from the ceremony. After all, non-political entities such as Europe are not entitled to a flag or anthem, they firmly believed. But College authorities and most people present at the ceremony, including many of Europe's illuminati, thought otherwise. The symbolism was stark and so were the two contrasting views of Europe." (s.42-43)
Nieźle, nieprawdaż?
A teraz obiecany spis treści i informacje z okładki:
Contents: Introduction. Declaration of intent -- I. Extracts from a Diary on the European Journey -- 1. When everything seemed possible -- 2. Learning from crises -- 3. The ability to surprise -- 4. When the facts change -- II. Main Challenges and Choices -- 5. How many presidents and crises for the euro? -- 6. 'That's your bloody GDP, not ours' -- 7. Digital laggard and green pioneer -- 8. Defending common interests - against whom? -- 9. Delivering the goods: elites and democracy -- 10. Who needs Europe, and what for?
Book Jacket: "European integration has had many successes and failures, Brexit being one of the biggest failures. Despite the setbacks, the EU has been acquiring more functions and members and has now reached a stage where it needs to become a political adult. In this book, one of the world's leading authorities on Europe provides a lucid and wide-ranging appraisal of contemporary European affairs - of how the EU became what it is today and the key challenges Europeans must now confront. These challenges include the search for a common foreign and security policy that will also require a more symmetrical transatlantic relationship; the search for democracy beyond the nation state; more inclusive societies; the development of the euro into a fully fledged currency; a higher degree of autonomy in high technology; and the greening of economies. In Tsoukalis' view, what is at stake in these challenges is whether the EU can exercise effective political power in a multipolar, highly asymmetrical and increasingly unstable world, and whether it can find a workable relationship between global markets and domestic social contracts. Willing and able countries should lead the way. The stakes are high - and not just for Europe. A declining and marginalized Europe would not be able to defend fundamental interests and values, including freedom and security for its citizens. And the world would greatly benefit from the moderating influence of a regional power that operates on the basis of broad consensus and compromise. This bold and ambitious book, based on extensive experience of European affairs, will be of value to anyone interested in Europe and its future as well as anyone concerned with the great political challenges of our time."--PUBLISHER'S NOTE.
Życzę wspaniałej lektury.
Komentarze