I used this book to teach a law school course in the Czech Republic. It has an excellent selection of cases from which to teach the major areas of European Union (or European Community depending on your view) law. Get the most recent available supplement (1996 to my knowledge) and realize that there have been recent significant changes in this area of law.

Firstly let me begin by stating that I have read this work cover to cover three times and several chapters many times more. It is the best I have read to date and I have nearly every work (in English) on the Caspian - in regards to energy expliotation there is, so I do speak from a position of knowledge.

Although printed in early 2000 I did not get my copy until mid 2000. Compared to other works this is in a league of its own - both for content and the broad range of contributors. One of the things that bug me about works on the Caspian region is that IRan is relegated to a passing comment - because America's influence or its pipeline mentality seems to overcome other writers. This does work does not. Iran is central through this work.

Divided into 5 sections, with 16 chapters, this work natually being an edited work allows the reader to pick and choose sections or chapters to read. I particularly enjoyed the emphaise throughout the work on Iran - it was even-handed in its measure - which is what you would expect.

As with other works there is a section on the legal perspective of the Caspian and the chapter by Mirfendereski is very good - providing insights I have not come across in other works or articles.

The work is nearly 300 pages in length including notes, and was worth all of the $..... I paid for it - hardcover and a falling Australian Dollar did not help. This book is for those already with a reasonable knowledge of the region and with that in mind other introductory works such as Amineh or Crossiant/Bulents works may be better suited for the novice - of course there will always be overlaps between similar works but by far this is the best yet.

Part of the reason why I enjoyed this work so much is that it focuses on littoral communities of the region (and a brief chapter to America as well)(can't get away from them ) so in that regard it is not an all in one compendium, and there is a strong emphasis throughout the work on the actual Caspian Sea itself - as well as the energy reserves. It is a good book and worth the money.

I've always felt much safer following novelists into non-fiction than say biographers, or historians into the realms of fiction. Griffin, who has written a couple of historical novels, is on familiar, though foreign ground. His fictional stories seem to examine cruelty and hope and his first work of non-fiction is no exception. It's a mixture of many genres, all neatly rolled into a short, decisive book. The Caucasus is one of those places, much like the Balkans, which used to confuse me to the point where I'd rather turn the page. But Griffin keeps everything simple and clear, following myths, history and politics along the lines of an expanding Christian nation (Russia) and a defensive Islamic nation (what came to be called Chechnya, Dagestan and Azerbaijan). This book is obviously more topical than the author thought when starting it four years ago. My only complaint is in the inclusion of the author's own travels. At first, it didn't feel as if they merited belonging, but once you catch the writer's drift, that everything is really very close to how it was two hundred years ago, his aims become more and more apparent. Caucasus is blessedly easy to read, and that's no mean feat.

Examining Soviet-American relations by studying the lives of the various ambassadors Roosevelt dispatched to Moscow is an especially clever device, and one that has not been used by anyone else. Dr. Dunn has done an excellent job: his writing style flows nicely and his research is first-rate. In addition to being highly informative, this book is simply good to read.

This book would be useful to anyone who seeks to understand the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States during the 1930s and 40s. It also helps illustrate how the Soviet Union worked and gives interesting insight into the personality of Stalin himself.

People who are particularly fond of Franklin Roosevelt might not like some of Dr. Dunn's conclusions, however. Be warned.

Berend's novel is a great account of the political, social, and economic changes Central and Eastern Europe went through after WWII. The book is very well organized and easy to follow, making this book read more like a story than a boring old history book.

This volume gathers rich political writings by Leon Trotsky from the last two years before his expulsion from the Soviet Union by the reactionary bureaucracy headed by Joseph Stalin.

Trotsky takes up broad questions of interest to revolutionary movements everywhere: from the economic foundations of post-capitalist society, to the fight for effective participation by workers and farmers in political debate and decision-making, to big challenges of revolutionary internationalism. You see him grappling with the complex questions posed by the degeneration of the Russian Revolution and its leading party, and the tactical challenges posed in waging a political fight at a time when it was still possible to return the party to its original, revolutionary course. You can learn a lot from his writings on world developments and debates over what revolutionists should do: revolutionary and class struggles in China, Britain and Germany, shifting economic and political relations among the imperialist powers, and much more.

I'd suggest studying this book along with some of Trotsky's other major writings, including The Revolution Betrayed, Leon Trotsky on China, and The Stalin School of Falsification. And for bringing these issues up to today's world, Capitalism's World Disorder: working-class politics at the millennium, and Their Trotsky and Ours, both by Jack Barnes.

In his book, The European Union, James A. Caporaso addresses three salient issues facing the European Union (EU) with a mixture of both pessimism and optimism, which makes his work truly realistic and powerful. These three issues are social policy, democracy and economics, and EU external relations. Furthermore, he augments these issues by weaving in a unique blend of current international relations theory, economic cost/ benefit analysis, negotiating, and national sovereignty. Additionally, he address complex issues such as the role of the European Parliament, European Court of Justice (ECJ), the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CSFP), and various treaties and agreements in such a way that a novice could understand them- one of his stated goals. Finally, he weaves in the work of other notable authors in such a manner, that their writings are better understood, within the context of the EU, such as David Mitrany and, especially, Andrew Moravcsik.

First, Caporaso's work on EU social policy is truly fascinating. Through the analysis of case studies, he shows that the EU has made some headway in improving social policy, but still has a long way to go. Surprisingly, this headway has been made in the legal arena through the ECJ. Caporaso demonstrates that perhaps of all the EU supra-national institutions, the ECJ has the most authority in impinging on national sovereignty, and having its decisions upheld, even though they are counter to national decisions or consensus. This is truly unique, as this authority is somewhat soft, but EU members respect it out of the fear of being perceived as "illegal," for lack of a better word.

Second, the chapter on democracy and economics is remarkable for its ease of understanding. In this chapter, Caporaso demonstrates that democracy and economics are not necessarily mutually inclusive- in that economic policy and practice are not always necessarily implemented for the benefit of the majority of EU's citizens. Instead, he demonstrates that the EU's economic policies and practices are implemented largely for trade enhancement and thus for the benefit of corporations and/or national special interest. Finally, he proves that the "gap between [economic/democratic] power balance that exists at the national level and the corresponding institutional balance at the European level is wide and shows only modest signs of closing."

Third, in the chapter on EU external relations, Caporaso very eruditely and concisely makes his point about CFSP being largely ineffectual due to qualified majority voting and national sovereignty. He points out that the EU as a whole has the capacity to form a very formidable military machine, but each member nation must concur to provide forces as well as cooperate in fields such as intelligence gathering, military industrial production, and deployment of forces. Therefore, an effective CFSP is a long way off or perhaps not foreseeable without outside prompting from a major crises or another nation such as the United States.

Furthermore, in this chapter, he illuminates the fact that national sovereignty has a large impact on social and democratic efforts at the EU level. He points out that both France and Germany have refused to sign/support agreements and resolutions that would impact negatively on their own external trade with countries, such as China. In doing this, and illuminating the problems with CFSP, he synthesizes most of his arguments in this well written chapter.

Finally, Caporaso's conclusion is exceedingly well written. He recaps all of his major arguments and spins in a minute amount of futurology when discussing "widening" vs. "deepening" of the EU and the accession of new members- especially Turkey. Caporaso's analysis, that the accession of new members, in particular a largely Islamic country such as Turkey, is a long way off, if not impossible, due to perceptions, economic costs, and required new voting criteria that would detract from Germany, France, and Great Britain- the EU's major players.

As with most well researched and written books, Caporaso's work is exceedingly difficult to negatively critique. Instead, it is much easier to articulate what one found interesting. This writer, found his analysis of Germany not supporting widening of the EU of particular note. After all, Germany opened Eastern Europe for trade during the cold war with "Ostpolitik," encouraged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to accept new members, and was the first to recognize the independence of Slovenia and Croatia. His analysis that Germany is against any further new accessions flies in the face of what one would assume to be the converse given the above listed facts. Additionally, his chapter on democracy and economics sheds new light on the age old 'adage,' that democracy, capitalism, and social responsibility go 'hand-in-hand.'

In short, Caporaso's work is one of the most realistic portrayals of the dilemmas facing the EU. He demonstrates that interdependence, democracy, and economic policy are truly complex issues that both detract from and enhance the EU at the same time. Additionally, if his work was to be taken out of context of the EU, many of his findings and analysis could apply to any large democracy- such as the United States- making his book all that more powerful as it could be used as a model by which to analyze other supra-national institutions and large governments alike. Thus, his work should be required reading not only for students of Europe, but students of world politics as well.

The Chechen Wars by Matthew Evangelista (Professor of Government and Director of the Peace Studies Program, Cornell University) is a close, meticulous study of the root causes of the Chechen Wars of 1994 and 1999, and an informative, scholarly examination of the impact these conflicts had on both Chechnya and Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Stressing the importance of dealing with violent conflict without undermining citizens' freedom and rights, as well as calling for the United States to be more attentive and provide a role model applicable to Russia's conflicts, The Chechen Wars is sober, involving reading and a very strongly recommended addition to International Studies reference collections in general, and Chechen/Russian Studies reading lists in particular.

In my opinion this is the best selection of Chekhov's stories. There are some inevitable ommissions of personal favourites such as 'New Villa', 'A Doctor's Visit', 'Gusev' and 'The Butterfly' but this is a minor complaint beside the fact that this edition includes both novellas and stories. For one thing it includes the beautiful 'Steppe' which is almost worth the price alone as it is very difficult to find. All the acknowledged major works are here from 'Ward No. 6' to 'The Lady with the Dog' and all - another bonus - in Constance Garnett's rarely surpassed translation.