Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Like its two predecessors, the third edi- ory. After a brief exploration of the founda-
tion of Theories of International Relations tions of International Relations as a separate
provides a comprehensive survey of leading academic discipline they offer some explana-
theoretical perspectives in the field. In con- tions for the ever-increasing diversity of IR
trast to the second edition, the reviewed text Theories. They point out that until today,
contains an entirely new chapter on Real- practitioners in the field ‘…do not agree
ism written by Jack Donnelly, the chapter about what is involved in theorizing interna-
on Rationalism has been has been replaced tional relations’ (pp. 12). As in many other
with a chapter on the English School, and social sciences, IR has been traditionally di-
the Feminism and Introduction chapters vided on the very basic question of its subject
have been substantially revised. Perhaps most matter and fundamental differences persists
importantly, however, all chapters have been regarding the appropriate methodology. Un-
updated to take into account the recent de- like in other social sciences, however, the
velopment in the ‘real world’, especially con- end of the Cold War and more recently the
cerning the impact of the events of ‘9/11’ on 9/11 attacks, have led to a proliferation of
International Relations theory. As such, the competing epistemological and ontological
book makes a worthy contribution to the standpoints, as well as the importance of eth-
burgeoning literature in the field. ics in the study of IR. According to Burchill
The introduction, co-authored by Scott and Linklater, it is therefore possible to argue
Burchill and Andrew Linklater, explains the that there is a fundamental division within
nature, diversity and fundamental points of IR between theories, which seek to offer ex-
disagreement in International Relations the- planatory accounts of world politics, and
Giorgio Napolitano became the 11th 1955) with the popular and sometimes pop-
President of Italy in May of 2006. He was ulist orientation of President Pertini (1978–
the first member of the former PCI (Italian 1985). He was the most loved in the history
Communist Party) to be chosen for this hon- of the Italian Republic. So it was difficult for
oured, but largely honorific, office. Born in President Napolitano to impose his own idea
Naples in 1925, President Napolitano very of the presidency, also remembering that part
soon became an important member of the of the Italian right was quite suspicious of him
party, linked especially to Giorgio Amendola, at least when he was first elected.
the leader of the ‘right’ inside the PCI, who The book we are writing about is his latest
worked for a collaboration with the moder- and it is a collection of nine papers published
ate PSI (Italian Socialist Party). Early on he by Mr. Napolitano between 1986 and 2006
was persuaded that the PCI had to change concerning the political, cultural and human
its political nature evolving more toward a figure of Altiero Spinelli, the Italian theorist
European Socialist Party, and after the PCI of European unification who wrote the well-
changed its name to the PDS (Democratic known Manifesto di Ventotene. In this work,
Party of the Left) he became minister and written in 1941 on a small island near Rome,
President of the Italian Senate. he imagined how to avoid future continen-
As president he succeeded Carlo Azeglio tal wars by integrating the specific political
Ciampi, former Central Bank Governor as aspects of national sovereignty in an inter-
well as Finance Minister and Head of Govern- national organization which would not be
ment. Mr. Ciampi mixed the constitutional nominated by governments but would rather
and official style of President Einaudi (1948– be an expression of popular will.
This well-researched book offers a help- In the first chapter of the second sec-
ful and thorough analysis of the latest phase tion of the book (chapter 5), Zdeněk Sychra
of European economic integration – Eco- presents the historical development of mon-
nomic and Monetary Union (EMU). It is etary cooperation in the EC/EU from the
arranged in two sections. The first section beginning of the European Community
in its four chapters interprets the theoretical (EC) to the last phase of the EMU. He draws
framework of EMU. The aim of this section reader’s attention to the asymmetry between
is to empower readers not familiar with the the economic and monetary part of the in-
economic theory and macroeconomics with tegration process where the supranational
knowledge of those concepts and approaches monetary policy is not supplemented by full-
that are essential for understanding of EMU. fledged economic integration with common
The section includes chapters on the theory fiscal policy and other instruments such as
of optimum currency areas, asymmetrical a federal budget, or common labour market
shocks theory, and approaches to the analysis policies. In his chapter on EMU convergence
of the costs and benefits of EMU member- criteria (chapter 6), Robert Plaga argues that
ship. While this part of the book does pro- these criteria despite reservations over their
vide a rich contribution to the theoretical de- calculation methods (inflation), level of the
bate on EMU and the economic integration reference threshold (budget deficit and pub-
process in general, the chapters on the EMU lic debt), width of the fluctuation limits (ex-
development that form the second part of change rate), or even their meaningfulness
the book (chapters 5 through 12) seem even (long-term interest rates) remain the main
more relevant. instruments to measure economic perform-
The role and the importance of mass me- The name of S. Iyengar is well known
dia in democratic societies have been a hotly to anyone dealing with political commu-
debated issue not only in the Czech Repub- nication, media studies, agenda-setting,
lic, but also across the borders. The most es- public opinion or cognitive psychology.
sential part of the discussion on this theme Among others it was Iyengar, who at Stan-
is the relation between the media and poli- ford University in the 1980s began to in-
tics. The most frequent criticism heard from tensively study the influence of television
politicians concerns the objectivity and im- on the information of the general public in
partiality of journalists and reporters, while political issues and trials. In his most im-
the other side defends the principle of inde- portant work, ‘Is Anyone Responsible? How
pendence of the media and points out that Television Frames Political Issues’, published
their role is that of the watchdog. Obviously, in 1989, he convincingly and in great de-
the boundary between the independence of tail outlined the possible cause of the pub-
the media and high-quality but not objective lic being poorly informed about politi-
journalism is rather vague. The question is, cal problems by means of ‘issue framing’,
who is right in this dispute? Are our leading which in many respects laid the foundation
politicians really so bad or is the mass me- for the next studies. Jennifer McGrady spe-
dia partly to blame for the general cynicism cializes in research in new communication
and scepticism about politics? The book by technology and its influence on democrat-
Shanto Iyengar and Jennifer McGrady Me- ic processes, especially election campaigns,
dia Politics: A Citizen’s Guide answers many and this dimension is emphasized in Media
of these questions. Politics.
The Institute for Public Issues (IVO) 2006. Results, Causes, Connections, a collec-
in Bratislava is an independent think tank, tion of fourteen separate analytical studies,
associating specialists from various branches, grouped into five thematic sections.
who analyse social, political, sociological, cul- The first deals with the possible implica-
tural, legal and foreign political issues. In their tions of parliamentary elections in Central
edition of ‘Studies and Opinions’, IVO, be- Europe. The author of the first chapter, Mar-
tween 1997 and 2006, published more than tin Bútora, gives a brief description of par-
thirty items with the aim of supporting an liamentary elections since 1994 in the intro-
open society and a democratic political cul- duction to his paper, discusses the regional
ture in Slovakia. Traditionally since 1998, repercussions of parliamentary elections in
after regional, communal and parliamentary Slovakia in 2006 and outlines their interna-
elections, the Institute has been publishing tional context. In the second chapter, Soňa
large studies in which specialists in various Szomolányi deals with the stability of democ-
subjects analyse the election campaign, the racy in Slovakia and with the political transi-
results and the consequences of the elections. tion of the country, describes the variants of
After the books on parliamentary elec- the governmental coalition and the reasons
tions, Slovak Elections of 1998. Who? Why? for creating the SMER – SNS – HZDS coali-
How? and Slovak Elections of 2002. Results, tions and other options, e.g., why the govern-
consequences, connections, IVO, six months mental continuity of the Cabinet of Mikuláš
after the elections of the National Assembly Dzurinda failed. The authors Radovan
of the Republic of Slovakia, published a third Ďurana and Juraj Karpiš in the chapter ‘“The
book of its kind, named Slovak Elections of Tatra Tiger” after the 2006 elections – what