Andrew Moravcsik

The book is in some ways self-indulgent, ranging too broadly across history, philosophy, and personal experience. Still, the result should be required reading for those engaged with this important issue.

One might expect the biography of an Oxford historian to recount tempests in teapots. Yet Sisman, a serial biographer of famous Englishmen, has produced a book that captivates the reader.

This volume’s recent histories of NATO are potted, and its presentation of international relations theory is rudimentary and at times just plain wrong. Yet the chapters on individual countries are insightful.

This book is a useful reminder of the tremendous diversity in how western European societies face modern political challenges.

This book’s heavy academic prose and plainly descriptive style do not quite capture the paradoxical coexistence of beauty and ugliness that is modern Italy. But Material Nation nonetheless gives readers a fresh perspective on this endlessly fascinating country.

Is conflict between the West and Islam the result of mistaken ideas about the Islamic world? Do Europeans (and Americans) portray Islam as static, monolithic, and reactionary? This volume, edited by a French researcher at Harvard, examines whether such “cultural talk” triggers Western overreaction and inflames Muslim opposition both inside and outside Europe and the United States.

This data-rich volume evaluates Europe’s global competitive position and suggests ways to strengthen it.

This book is not just a sociocultural critique but also a personal memoir by an Indian-born, British-raised research psychologist and journalist who has toiled in the trenches of the culture wars.

Few have contributed more to understanding the Spanish Civil War than Casanova, an eminent professor at the University of Zaragoza. Here, he synthesizes new research, much of it by a generation of young historians, into a lively, engaging account -- the best available in English.

In world politics, idealistic schemes often begin with high hopes and end with disappointment. Such has been the case with Europe's response to recent genocides. So, also, is the experience of this book's author in applying trendy social science to this issue.

Unlike traditional federalist supporters of Europe (and their nationalist critics), the authors assembled here do not view the continent's ideological diversity as evidence of the EU's failure.

As befits a Bloomberg reporter, Lynch peppers his account of the Irish financial crisis with numbers and descriptions of boardroom antics and complex financial deals. As in any good Irish yarn, however, more memorable are the larger-than-life personalities.