The European Union in International Politics: Baptism by Fire

A rich qualitative empirical analysis. . . . A well-researched book of impressive quality. . . . Highly recommend[ed] for its historical and empirical strength and its relevance to current world events. — Carolyn Marie Dudek ― American Political Science Review

[An] impressive piece of scholarship. . . . Ginsberg’s in-depth analysis . . . provides us with much-needed insight into specific EU actions and outcomes in the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East conflict, and relations with the United States. . . . The book makes a significant contribution to the study of the EU as an international actor. ― Journal of Common Market Studies

A timely and provocative study that challenges the proclivity to under or overestimate the impact of the European Union in international political affairs, Ginsberg’s analysis is conceptually and empirically engaging. Simply put, his study takes the analysis of European foreign policy decision-making to a new level of theoretical and methodological rigor. There are few, if any, recent studies of European foreign policy that are as empirically and methodologically as systematic as Ginsberg’s analysis. Policy-makers, both in the EU and outside the region, will make foreign decisions based upon their understanding of the EU as a foreign policy actor. They would be well advised to read Ginsberg’s study before making any such decisions. ― International Politics

Most prior scholarship on EU foreign policy has focused on the decision-making process and the sources of those decisions, or the factors that shape decision-making. Professor Ginsberg, whose book is the first to provide a comprehensive theoretical framework for studying European foreign policy, focuses instead on external political impact. ― Insights, The Library Of Congress Professional Association

A delightfully written, thoroughly researched, insightful account of the increasingly independent role of the EU in world affairs. — Henry Nau, George Washington University