Disintegrating Europe: The Twilight of the European Construction

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Since the Maastricht Treaty of December 1991, Europe has experienced rising nationalism and regionalismboth centrifugal effects working against unionand above all scepticism toward the Union concept itself. As certain of the member states fragment, or turn inward, a turning-point in history has been reached: it is the end of the post-War Europe. As such, is it even necessary for Europe to be united at all Is the unification ideal too large a political concept Is the ideal of European unification dying, and have the concepts enshrined in the Maastricht Treaty become museum pieces These are among the incisive questions asked by writer-economist Noriko Hama, in Disintegrating Europe. This approach is dramatic, readable, and compelling, and represents the first time that so qualified an economic commentator has attempted a 'big picture' view of the future of the European unification project. Predicting that the crumbling cornerstone of unity makes the present course untenable, the author provides an alternative vision for 21st Century Europe resting on the market mechanism as seen in East Asia. This, she argues, would serve as an 'engine of growth' to replace the now-faltering engine of the newly-united Germany, which instead will continue to wrestle with its deflationary absorption of East Germany.

Reviews

,,"."Presents a clear and exhaustive picture of Europe at a turning-point in its history - the collapse of the post-War system.""-Nichi-ei Times
.,."Presents a clear and exhaustive picture of Europe at a turning-point in its history - the collapse of the post-War system."-Nichi-ei Times
"It is impossible to stop reading ....This book not only counters the conventional image of the European Union but presents a unique theory of Europe from the economic viewpoint."-Tokyo Shimbun
.."."Presents a clear and exhaustive picture of Europe at a turning-point in its history - the collapse of the post-War system.""-Nichi-ei Times
""It is impossible to stop reading ....This book not only counters the conventional image of the European Union but presents a unique theory of Europe from the economic viewpoint.""-Tokyo Shimbun

Author Bio

NORIKO HAMA is Mitsubishi Research Institute's first resident economist and chief representative in London. In this capacity she covers macroeconomic developments in Europe, as well as commenting on events in Japan. Hama writes regularly on current issues in newspapers and economic journals. She is a frequent commentator for the BBC's World Service Radio and Television broadcasts, as well as other current affairs programmes such as the CNN's World Business News and BBC's Newsnight.