Political Unification Revisited

Political Unification Revisited is a highly original book with something old and something new, that is, with a new, long introduction that situates the bulk of the book, published in the l960s, within contemporary debates about the need for globaland regional government. The 1960s part of the book has stood the test of time, with its subtle analyses of the demands involved in building federations of nation-states illustrated through four case studies. The contemporary introduction provides fresh insights on the one federation of the four that lasted, the EU, while making compelling arguments about the unsustainability of a federation that remains stuck halfway to a real regional government. For Etzioni, the problem for the EU, as for any other regional or even global government—to be distinguished from governance arrangement—is that supranational political institutions need to be accompanied by moral dialogues that speak to the creation of a common core of communal values and bonds, without which any federation will founder. Etzioni makes this point eloquently, as he revisits his earlier work while updating it, to show that while well-constructed political institutions are essential, they cannot succeed without solid moral communities to underpi -- Vivien A. Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
This reissued classic is recommended for upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. * CHOICE *
Truly a classic. . . . An indispensable tool for students, a constant reference for scholars, and a source of foreknowledge for policy makers. . . . The depth and range of Professor Etzioni's scholarship provide the reader with unique insights. -- Simon Serfaty, Old Dominion University; director of European Studies, Center for Strategic & International Studies
Political Unification Revisited is a highly original book with something old and something new, that is, with a new, long introduction that situates the bulk of the book, published in the l960s, within contemporary debates about the need for global and regional government. The 1960s part of the book has stood the test of time, with its subtle analyses of the demands involved in building federations of nation-states illustrated through four case studies. The contemporary introduction provides fresh insights on the one federation of the four that lasted, the EU, while making compelling arguments about the unsustainability of a federation that remains stuck halfway to a real regional government. For Etzioni, the problem for the EU, as for any other regional or even global government—to be distinguished from governance arrangement—is that supranational political institutions need to be accompanied by moral dialogues that speak to the creation of a common core of communal values and bonds, without which any federation will founder. Etzioni makes this point eloquently, as he revisits his earlier work while updating it, to show that while well-constructed political institutions are essential, they cannot succeed without solid moral communities to underpin them. -- Vivien A. Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University