Synopsis

This work assesses the evolution of Spain's external relations during the 1990s, both within and beyond Europe, and assesses the principal challenges facing the country at the beginning of the 21st century. The coincidence of several crucial global and European developments has had a profound effect on Spain. Adjustment of the economy and changes in foreign policy perspectives have become unavoidable. In turn, Spain, as an increasingly self-confident member of the EU, has itself become a significant actor in European-level developments. Spain's relationship with Europe and the wider world is increasingly balanced between new constraints and new opportunities for international influence. This volume assesses the impact of this important juncture on Spain. Has Spain become sufficiently competitive at the economic level to maintain its enhanced diplomatic influence of recent years? Does the country's membership of the Euro-zone signal real progress, or have basic structural weaknesses been ignored? Has Spain's place in the world been affected by the change of government in 1996? Is Spain's undoubted ambition to become a leading European country matched by a national readiness to accept a commensurate role in global burden-sharing? These are some of the central questions addressed here by a well-qualified Anglo-Spanish team of experts.