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The Passage to Europe Luuk van Middelaar

The Passage to Europe By Luuk van Middelaar

The Passage to Europe by Luuk van Middelaar

Reviews:
$18.99
Condition - Very Good
Only 1 left
Very Good

Summary

Explains the origins of the European Union, the forces binding it together and driving it forward, and how political leaders will surmount the current economic turmoil. The author captures the day-to-day dynamics and illuminates the political and philosophical issues that shaped the EU's development.

The Passage to Europe Summary

The Passage to Europe: How a Continent Became a Union by Luuk van Middelaar

The untold story of the crises and compromises that united a continent

As financial turmoil in Europe preoccupies political leaders and global markets, it becomes more important than ever to understand the forces that underpin the European Union, hold it together and drive it forward. This timely book provides a gripping account of the realities of power politics among European states and between their leaders. Drawing on long experience working behind the scenes, Luuk van Middelaar captures the dynamics and tensions shaping the European Union from its origins until today.

It is a story of unexpected events and twists of fate, bold vision and sheer necessity, told from the perspective of the keyplayers - from de Gaulle to Havel, Thatcher to Merkel. Van Middelaar cuts through the institutional complexity by exploring the unforeseen outcomes of decisive moments and focusing on the quest for public legitimacy.

As a first-hand witness to the day-to-day actions and decisions of Europe's leaders, the author provides a vivid narrative of the crises and compromises that united a continent. By revisiting the past, he sheds fresh light on the present state of European unification and offers insights into what the future may hold.

The Passage to Europe Reviews

A discerning, balanced, gracefully written book, flavoured with the insights of political science but filled with the meat of European Union history over six decades.-Tony Barber, Financial Times -- Tony Barber * Financial Times *
Philosophically informed and historically sensitive. . . . [offering] a subtle and detailed account of the evolution of the Union.-Larry Sidentop, Times Literary Supplement -- Larry Sidentop * Times Literary Supplement *
[The book] has much to teach those who want to understand the EU's recent political dynamic.-The Economist * The Economist *
An erudite alternative to the persistent drumbeat about the coming, market-driven disintegration of the European Union . . . . An intriguing presentation of views seldom reported so readably and in such depth.-Kirkus Reviews
* Kirkus Reviews *
This insightful book, written by someone close to events, comprehends and confronts the dynamic tensions in Europe between the politicians and public opinion. A must-read for reform-minded pro-Europeans and sceptics alike.-Lord Mandelson -- Peter Mandelson
A study that is attracting a lot of attention among those trying to find a way out of the euro crisis. The author is a philosopher, historian and adviser to the president of the European Union. This book is slightly labyrinthine in structure but full of interesting ideas. Van Middelaar rejects the idea that the EU must become a political union to survive.-Gideon Rachman, Financial Times -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times *

Beautifully written (and translated from the original 2009 Dutch edition by Liz Waters), The Passage to Europe has deservedly won several prizes and been translated into four languages (and counting). A 35-page prologue written for the English-language version cogently ties the analysis to more recent events. It is well worth digging through the 44 pages of notes, commentary and bibliography which van Middelaar has banished to the back of the book. His wit (he memorably compares the current transitional process to purgatory) and his training as a philosopher shine through (though he wears his learning lightly). His aphoristic, provocative but always entertaining analysis is richly garnered with metaphors and illustrative anecdotes that make what could have been a dry read a colourful pleasure.-Martin Westlake, Literary Review

-- Martin Westlake * Literary Review *

This story [the European project] is well-described by Luuk van Middelaar in The Passage to Europe: How a Continent Became a Union. The author is an advisor to Herman van Rompuy, the first full-time president of the European Council. Middelaar's book is a humorous, jargon-free and historically well-informed account of how the EU has developed.-Brendan Simms, Prospect Magazine.

-- Brendan Simms * Prospect Magazine *
Luuk van Middelaar has a command of European political ideas and their long genesis. He is at home too in the undergrowth of the overlapping spheres of influence of the European Council, Commission and Parliament. . . . The result is a major academic analysis of the European Union, its origin and germination. Van Middelaar has a firm grasp on the philosophical antecedents of modern sovereignty from Hobbes and Locke in the 17th century and the practical political sense to know that just because it doesn't work in theory doesn't mean it won't work in practice. . . . Reading this book is to enjoy a synergy both of this history, the politics and the history of ideas that have brought a hugely improbable project to life and sustained it through succeeding crises.-Gerard Howlin, Irish Examiner -- Gerard Howlin * Irish Examiner *
His encyclopedic knowledge of and intimacy with European affairs will make even a specialist blush with envy.-Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly *
The book I most valued was Luuk van Middelaar's The Passage to Europe, a brilliant account of the development of the European Union. The most insightful book on Europe since Larry Siedentop's Democracy in Europe, and essential reading before voting in the referendum.
-Vernon Bogdanor, Times Higher Education Supplement, Book of the Year -- Vernon Bogdanor * Times Higher Education Supplement *

The author, a senior EU official, combines inside knowledge with the insights of a philosopher . . . His discussion . . . is illuminating and remarkably readable.-Roger Morgan, Times Higher Education Supplement

-- Roger Morgan * Times Higher Education Supplement *

About Luuk van Middelaar

Luuk van Middelaar is a Dutch political philosopher and currently policy advisor and speechwriter to the president of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy. He lives in Brussels, Belgium.

Additional information

GOR007441765
9780300205336
0300205333
The Passage to Europe: How a Continent Became a Union by Luuk van Middelaar
Luuk van Middelaar
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Yale University Press
20140615
392
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - The Passage to Europe