This volume focuses on the integration and globalization of Romania a prominent emerging
market in South-Eastern Europe and one of the major players in the securitization of the Black
Sea and the Eastern European border as both a part of NATO since 2004 and a fully integrated
EU Member State since 2007. It will examine the challenges the country has faced in its
progression from totalitarianism to democracy through several waves of reform intended to
update and streamline its political and economic processes for success in the free-market
capitalist arena. Having learned the hard way about some of the key aspects of public
administration Romania has learned a place for itself among the diverse global players of
Europe and beyond. The first section reviews current perspectives on globalization and its
impact in the late 20th century. It has flattened the Earth generating better communication
and exchanges than ever before but also gathering a fair amount of criticisms from
commentators seeing it as little else than neo-colonialism. Cooperative-administrative
strategies are being suggested instead in order for new public administration patterns to
smoothly run in coordination with the globalized world. In the second section the European
Union is described as a complex multi-level socio-political entity itself historically in
turmoil over its own style of rule - e.g. hierarchy vs. coordination integration vs.
centralization etc. - or even its own existence as the European dream seemed to be losing
steam with the general population of Europe several times in the previous century. Powers and
responsibilities of the European institutions and agencies are also discussed. Thirdly the
recent history of Romania is approached from the Europeanization context starting from its
post-1989 days of confusion and of attempting to jumpstart democracy. Eventually it has to
undergo a series of reforms and internalize some principles fundamental to the EU in order for
the much-awaited accession to occur and its multiple effects to start taking place. A country
with a rich cultural heritage and straddling multiple socio-political axes Romania has plenty
more to offer in the new geostrategic security and development contexts of the 21st-century
Europe. As such this volume provides inspiration for further research and practical
application opportunities on topics of local European and global significance.
