The Italians in Europe Italy's entry into Europe's single currency was a triumph of fiscal discipline over a long history of profligate spending. But Italy's embrace of European institutions is driven by more than just economics. "Europe" has helped Italy cement its national identity, clean up its politics, and modernize its laws. Although the European Union will never replace Italians' regional or national allegiances, it will always find its staunchest supporters in Rome rather than in Paris, Brussels, or Berlin

William Shaw cross shows how U.N. peacekeeping has failed but does not draw the obvious conclusion: the world's hot spots need U.S. intervention, and plenty of it

Recent books on international relations Philip Zelikow on J.F.K. and the Sky bolt crisis; G. John Ikenberry on Mixed Messages; Stanley Hoffmann on the Klemperer diaries; Kenneth Maxwell on the Chilean right; Gail M. Gerhart on democracy in Africa