Review by Choice Review
The bumpy road that Romania has traversed within the last decade is well summarized by the subtitle of this book. From the moment of the invitation to apply for membership in the EU to acceptance in the EU, there were moments of despair. Romanians tended to blame the Hungarians for creating an atmosphere of suspicion concerning Romanian readiness to maintain European standards in its economic and political life. The suspicion was directed especially at the ability of the government, including its political parties, to guarantee the independence of the judicial system. This issue, according to the authors, caused the longest delay in the final approval of acceptance of Romania into the EU. Historically, Romania's successful elimination of corruption will mean the final end of an era that began when the two Romanian principalities were included in the Ottoman Empire six centuries earlier. Will Romania now play a relatively important role within Europe? Papadimitriou (Univ. of Manchester, UK) and Phinnemore (Queens Univ. Belfast, UK) doubt it. Romania is still saddled with a cultural and technological heritage that is not quite on the level of today's Europe. It will take some time before it catches up. Summing Up: Recommended. All undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections. L. K. D. Kristof emeritus, Portland State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
