This book takes a look at the tumultuous history of the Euro, its status in global economics and politics, and the pressures that present enormous challenges for the Euro’s future. This new edition has been fully updated to cover the dramatic events of 2010–2011, including Ireland's and Greece's debt crises and the continuing tension between France and Germany over the future of the Euro. "Gripping. . . . An indispensable guide to monetary union."—Economist "An amazingly detailed and thoroughly readable account of the long march to the Euro. This is the stuff of a political thriller: the deal-making behind a currency constructed not just as a financial instrument but also as a way of overcoming centuries of conflict. Anyone interested in European politics and economics, as well as Europe's place in the wider world, would enjoy it."—George Soros