El rey Juan Carlos I y la proyección exterior de España

Drawing on documents from archives in several countries and dozens of written and oral testimonies from Spanish and foreign politicians, diplomats, and journalists who had dealings with him, this book explores in depth King Juan Carlos's contribution to the gradual normalization and subsequent international projection of Spain from his appointment as Franco's successor in 1969 until his abdication in 2014. Powell argues that the monarch made a decisive contribution to the international recognition of the new democratic Spain, facilitating its entry into NATO (1982) and the European Community (1986). He also helped rebalance relations with the United States, fostered renewed engagement with Hispanic America and the creation of the Ibero-American Community of Nations, and cultivated relations with the Arab world without hindering the recognition of Israel, thus enabling the Madrid Conference on the Middle East in 1991. Powell also examines his remarkable contribution to so-called "public diplomacy," which was particularly evident in the Barcelona Olympics and Expo '92 in Seville, and his efforts to mitigate the impact of the 2008 financial crisis. The book concludes with an analysis of the scandals that led to his abdication and argues that, despite the mistakes he undoubtedly made, King Juan Carlos performed a remarkable diplomatic mission that deserves to be recognized by the Spanish people.