Review: Europe Recast
| Author | Steven B. Wolinetz |
| Date | 01 December 2005 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200506000434 |
| Published date | 01 December 2005 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
| Reviews |
| 1192 | International Journal | Autumn 2005 |
further towards European union, he ended up as an accidental American,
propelled by chance events into an alliance with a Republican president that
destroyed his personal credibility at home and his standing abroad. But ulti-
mately his book does little to substantiate this argument; it is more tempting
to conclude that there was, in truth, nothing accidental about it.
Dominic Sandbrook/Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford
EUROPE RECAST
A History of European Union
Desmond Dinan
Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2004. xviii, 373pp, US$59.95 cloth (ISBN 1-
58826-205-7), US$23.50 paper (ISBN 1-58826-230-8)
Desmond Dinan’s
Europe Recast
is a superb, eminently readable history of
the European Union. Dinan weaves a lively account of the ways in which this
complex multilevel system of governance developed and operates. Along the
way, he explains why the system has become increasingly complex, making
it difficult for students to absorb or understand. In doing so, he offers
insights into both events and personalities. The book is a gem. Missing are
the hagiography found in some accounts and the dense jargon which some-
times confuses EU studies. Dinan simplifies without being simplistic,
offering enough detail to make his point but not so much that readers are
overwhelmed.
Europe Recast
begins with a short introduction. Nine chapters take us
from the postwar period through reversals and recoveries, the Single
European Act, economic and monetary union, and the challenges which the
enlarged EU now faces. Dinan comments on personalities and events, as
well as public and academic debates, and does so in ways which are accessi-
ble both to general and academic readers. Readers looking for the definitive
word on whether spillover drove European integration or the merits of inter-
governmental versus transnational approaches to the EU will not find them
here. What they will find is a lively book, interspersed with maps, photo-
graphs,and pithy quotations thatcould easily beincorporatedinto examination
questions.
Dinan has a clear sense of the significance of the European project and
the forces which have moved it forward. The EU reflects competing visions
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