Oe S CURRENT HISTORY \ ene rcneeenn rr Brussels Doubts The Fog Between Britain and the Continent Matthias Matthijs Is EU Soft Power Fading? _The Far Right’s Bark and Bite Karen E. Smith Cas Mudde Time for a Transatlantic Pivot Daniel S. Hamilton The Endless Greek Crisis Manos Matsaganis | Southeast Blues Romania and Bulgaria on the Edge s3.osus .oscan Stefanos Katsikas 0% | | Plas: a Turkish Democracy Under ThreatEditor JOSHUA LUSTIG ‘Associate Editor MICHAEL }.NEVADOMSK: Senior Edkor ALAN SORENSEN Books Edtor WILLIAM WFINAN JR. Production Editor DDARRYL DETWEILER } Copy Editor \ RACHEL ADAMS. dors (CATHERINE BOONE London Schoo of Economics ‘BRUCE CUMINGS Universi of Chieago (Camegie Endowment DEBORAH'S. DAVIS. "ile Universi, LARRY DIAMOND Stanford University MICHELE DUNNE CCamege Endowment BARRY EICHENGREEN Univers of Carma, Berkeley (C.CHRISTINE FAIR Georgetown Valeriy SUMIT GANGULY Indiana Univer 6. JOHN IKENBEREY ‘ance Univerty MICHAEL T KLARE amphi Cllege JOSHUA KURLANTZICK ‘Council on Foreign Relations ‘MICHAEL MCFAUIL* ‘Stanford University ‘RAJAN MENON Cay University of New York AUGUSTUS RICHARD NORTON ‘Boston Univers JOSEPHS. NYE JR. Harvard Unerty ‘BRUCE RUSSETT "ale Universi MICHAEL SHIFTER Inter American Diogu ARTURO VALENZUELA ‘Georgetown University JEFFREY WASSERSTROM Univers of Califo Irvine "ene President and Publisher DANIEL MARK REDMOND DANIEL G. REDMOND ator and Publisher, 143-1955 DANIEL G. REDMOND JR. Publisher, 1955-1988 IMPORTANT CHANGES are in stote for South Asia in 2014. uS drone attacks against terrorist targets in ‘Afghanistan and Pakistan will undoubtedly continue, despite political pushback in both countries, But the United States and NATO will be withdrawing from Afghanistan, leaving behind a small residual force—or possibly no troops at al, if negotiations fail. A general election in India is expected to oust the Congress party government and elevate the controversial Hind nationalist Narendra Modi, unless a new populist party proves to be a game-changer. Outrage over violence against women in India has made female empowerment a pressing issue. In Bangladesh, polarization has reached dangerous levels, worsened by war erimes trials. Reconciliation is also hard in Sri Lanka, scarred by its long civil war. Current History's April issue will cover these developments and trends across the region. Topics scheduled to appear include: + Empowering South Asia’ Women and Girls Indrani Bagchi, Times of India * Assessing the US Drone War Michael Boyle, LaSalle University Election Tea Leaves Ronojoy Sen, National University of Singapore + Bangladesh on the Brink ‘Ali Riaz, Ilinois State University + Postwar Wounds in Sri Lanka Shatika Thiranagama, Stanford University ‘India Soft Power Potential ‘TY Paul, McGill University Seventh in a series cera oie ere eps yee ec es Sun SELES sa creates Soe faeerant Gates oe de oe eso Se rose Oe, elles Ste a eee Oo cate ree Pere acemrem tence ig au adaerane tear ieee te RE Seger fee en rs pees iyuae mene eine iecia han pceeece ie Sr thauige cement See eerie oct macaw Seo mou remy rae See pt oe ‘mine, Richadsoe Media, LLC, tok 215-882-0464, fax: 215-495-9904, ied nthe Usted Sates =)Bulgaria and Romania at Europe’s Edge STEFANOS KATSIKAS gra and Romani joined the Foropean Bites Stat ene te on jy 1, 2007, Ths momentous event war the culmination of «long and. demanding polit Gal project hat aw often been descbed ab “Eurpesnistion.” Although the Toundatins of this project were li aly Soo ater he il both coontes communis reyes in 198 the ce ws slow sd dd not eal gan moment Sn te end ofthe 1990s (Over the year the projet ebbed and Nowed, but what kept both naons commited wes thet song belt tht joming the EU would Bl he poll economic and secur vacvum that the isolation of the communist bine ad pro: daced £0 membership was popely seen Sot panscea that woul allow Bulga snd Romane to stabilie ter newborn democrat systems ad veto the economic problems ofthe poston: sonst rast ofeed confit tate Bulgarians an Romanian were relly Europes even years lt, however reer thay fo ing ple nto the ear of Europe, Bella Romania nd theese at the ge, Ter Patter sie queson aboot ther sommienent tothe rl of lw and ther wilingoess to cack Sov on orginized crime andl migeton Does this meen tht snembersip has rot Been zm easy rote to democratic sity economic spot and geste oppor for? European Integration may bea dic tpt a ine when economic crisis has, for some, cast the entire fo into doubt Bt the shuation of Romania renee Kasi decor f modern eh studies « i ona East Epa alse ai tad emer oft Epes en Co a ee 2 ota, bene henge ie ear ep {ating Diplomacy inthe New Europe: Foreign Pog in Post-Communist Bulga (2 Tauris, 201). n7 and Bulgaria lends itself to reflection on the wider project and its overall historical importance. MEMBERSHIP TESTS The integration project has achieved many pos- itive things, inciuding unprecedented economic prosperity, political stability, and social cohesion Jn Europe. The project has created an integral market in which goods, services, capital, and people move freely It has simplified the require- ments for living and working in other member states and increased competition within the single ratket, thereby improving the quality of goods and services while keeping their prices in check. It has also reduced the costs associated with operat ‘ng businesses (despite the famously extensive EU regulations) and strengthened cooperation among, member states in law enforcement and border control ‘Above all, integration has stabilized democracy in Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War and, before that, in southern Europe—in Greece, Portugal, and Spain, where it prevented the mili- tary from interfering with politics. Still, imegra- tion is an ongoing effort, and much remains to be Gone in many fields ‘With the Cold Wars end, a number of East European states started accession negotiations, and in 2004 eight of them joined the union (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia), along with Cyprus and Malta. Three years later, it was Bulgaria and Romania's tum to Join. The EUS presence in the Balkans grew even stronger with the accession of Croatia on July 1, 2013. ‘The accession process and the criteria for mem- bership have changed at various stages of the union's expansion. The growth of the European Economic Community (FEC), the EUS forerunner,