100 Years since the Great Union of Romania is a pertinent witness to the course of Romanian political thinking. It confirms that December 1918 demands to be celebrated as a fundamental historical event, which imparts a prominent force to the continuing dynamics of the preposition ‘since’, potentiating it not only with the structural valences of the initial moment and the starting point, but also giving it the meaning of the plenary symbols of a historical act which, after 100 years, celebrates its establishment by reaffirming and confirming its fully-mature vocation. This volume is dedicated to the 100 years since the Great Union of all Romanians. It will appeal to the wider academic community, PhD students, professors, and researchers, and to any reader interested in history, history of political thoughts, political philosophy and science or international relations.

Today, we know what the Black Sea is not from a strategic perspective, but we do not know what it is. This strategic indecision is the explanation for all the conflicts, frozen or not, explicit or tacit, and all the political and geopolitical tensions that are now taking place in this space and that are becoming endemic. The story of the Black Sea continues… This text is the first encyclopaedia explicitly dedicated to the geopolitics of the Black Sea, written for Western audiences, an academic research which appeals to the wider academic community, PhD students, professors, and researchers, and to any reader interested in geopolitics, history, international relations, economy, sociology, history, and geography.

Raphael’s artworks, paintings, altarpieces, drawings, tapestries, cartoons, prints, ceramics and all other artifacts derived from his works, including copies and forgeries, have been the object of an often-frantic search from his death in 1520 onwards. France, Spain, Germany, England, and Italy were the main destinations for such artworks between the 16th and the 18th centuries, while the market spread overseas from the 19th century onwards. This book is the first full exploration of this phenomenon and of the mechanisms of transmission of Raphael’s artifax through inheritance, sales, swaps and shady transactions. It includes essays in English, French and Italian by some of the most knowledgeable scholars on Raphael, museum curators and experts in the history of collecting, and is a landmark in scholarship on Raphael and art collecting.

This volume contains the scientific papers presented at the 2nd International Conference “Contemporary Challenges in Administrative Law from an Interdisciplinary Perspective” that was held on 17 May 2019 at Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania. The scientific studies included in this volume are grouped into two chapters: Practical Aspects Regarding the Role of Administrative Law in the Modernization of Public Administration at European and International Level and Practical Aspects Regarding the Role of Administrative Law in the Modernization of Public Administration at National Level. This volume is aimed at practitioners, researchers, students and PhD candidates in juridical and administrative sciences, who are interested in recent developments and prospects for development in the field of administrative law and public administration at international and national level.

An authoritative study of World War I’s often-overlooked Romanian front. In contrast to the trench-war deadlock on the Western Front, combat in Romania and Transylvania in 1916 foreshadowed the lightning warfare of World War II. When Romania joined the Allies and invaded Transylvania without warning, the Germans responded by unleashing a campaign of bold, rapid infantry movements, with cavalry providing cover or pursuing the crushed foe. Hitting where least expected and advancing before the Romanians could react―even bombing their capital from a Zeppelin soon after war was declared―the Germans and Austrians poured over the formidable Transylvanian Alps onto the plains of Walachia, rolling up the Romanian army from west to east, and driving the shattered remnants into Russia. Prelude to Blitzkrieg tells the story of this largely ignored campaign to determine why it did not devolve into the mud and misery of trench warfare, so ubiquitous elsewhere. “This work will stand as the definitive study of the Central Powers part of the campaign for some time to come.” —Journal of Military History “Barnett’s book is a valuable addition to the field. He writes well and with authority. He has been able to illuminate a little-known corner of the First World War and provide a state-of-the-art operational history combining detailed narrative with prescient analysis.” —American Historical Review

This proceedings volume presents the latest trends in innovative business development theory and practice from a global, interdisciplinary perspective. Featuring selected contributions from the 25th International Economic Conference Sibiu (IECS 2018) held in Sibiu, Romania, it explores various topics in the areas of economics, business, finance and accounting, including tourism, marketing and Islamic banking and finance. Written by researchers from different regions and sectors around the world, it offers significant insights into the emerging shifts that characterize the fields of innovative economics and global development, innovative business practices, as well as innovative finance and banking, and provides organizations, managers and policy makers with new reliable solutions and opportunities for innovative development and growth within and between organizations around the globe.

The most comprehensive study of Romanian politics ever published abroad, this volume represents an effort to collect and analyze data on the complex problems of Romania's journey from sultanistic national communism to a yet-unreached democratic government.

Since the 1989 fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, Romania, arguably the most regimented of states in the Soviet bloc, has struggled with the transition from totalitarian state to democratic nation. In this insightful examination of modern Romania, Tom Gallagher provides an overview of Romania’s unique political and social history, focusing on both its national identity as well as the legacy of Soviet rule. Gallagher provides an in-depth look at Romania since 1989, focusing on the government’s attempts at economic reform, engagement with democracy, problems with corruption among the ruling elite, as well as the weakness of civil society and the resilience of implacable expressions of nationalism. Ultimately, Gallagher argues that thus far democracy has essentially failed in Romania. In fact, he warns that Romania is on its way to becoming one of the most unequal states in Europe and quite possibly a future trouble-spot unless efforts to resume much-needed reforms are undertaken.

“Conventional analysis suffers from a profound failure of imagination. It imagines passing clouds to be permanent and is blind to powerful, long-term shifts taking place in full view of the world.” —George Friedman In his long-awaited and provocative new book, George Friedman turns his eye on the future—offering a lucid, highly readable forecast of the changes we can expect around the world during the twenty-first century. He explains where and why future wars will erupt (and how they will be fought), which nations will gain and lose economic and political power, and how new technologies and cultural trends will alter the way we live in the new century. The Next 100 Years draws on a fascinating exploration of history and geopolitical patterns dating back hundreds of years. Friedman shows that we are now, for the first time in half a millennium, at the dawn of a new era—with changes in store, including: • The U.S.-Jihadist war will conclude—replaced by a second full-blown cold war with Russia. • China will undergo a major extended internal crisis, and Mexico will emerge as an important world power. • A new global war will unfold toward the middle of the century between the United States and an unexpected coalition from Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and the Far East; but armies will be much smaller and wars will be less deadly. • Technology will focus on space—both for major military uses and for a dramatic new energy resource that will have radical environmental implications. • The United States will experience a Golden Age in the second half of the century. Written with the keen insight and thoughtful analysis that has made George Friedman a renowned expert in geopolitics and forecasting, The Next 100 Years presents a fascinating picture of what lies ahead. For continual, updated analysis and supplemental material, go to www.geopoliticalfutures.com.