The Balkans: Nationalism, War & the Great Powers, 1804-1999

DISCLAIMER: I am Greek and thus know and understand the history of my country much more than the history of our neighbors. Therefore, I am not in a position to review the book thoroughly when it comes to Serbian or Bulgarian history - even turkish to which by definition we Greeks are more familiar with. END OF DISCLAIMER.
This was a very interesting and very well written book. The coverage of events up to World War I is immaculate and the author's effort has paid off in what seems to be a good mix of narrative and attempt to explain the historical reasons behind the events.
The seconds half of the book - starting right after the end of World War I is more hastily written - partially due to the lack of abundance of historical resources, I presume - but also increasingly fails to incorporate any ethnic perspective in the analysis of events. Some premature conclusions are drawn - i.e. the author blatantly calls Eleftherios Venizelos the main culprit of the Asia Minor Disaster - a position that has been fiercely debated inside and outside Greece for the longest time and at a bare minimum should not been presented with such confidence.
The position of Greece towards the Bosnian as well as Kosovo conflict has been severely misconstrued here - albeit the undisputed emotional ties between the two people as well as the government of the two countries Greece fully yet unwillingly aligned with the NATO "party line" in the Kosovo conflict.
There are also some minor errors in election dates in the 1960s in Greece - at least at my edition.
Overall, I strongly recommend the book. I caught myself disagreeing with the author in many points and I really came to believe that the weak sport of the book - if there is any - has been the omission to incorporate the thinking and mind frame of the Balkan people as one of the pivotal forces behind history making. It thus supports indirectly a very naive and dangerous notion - that modern events can only be affected by the status quo bequeathed by the Ottoman Empire. In some aspect the author neglects to admit that there has been a very vivid history of the area (esp. Southern Balkans) prior to the Ottomans. Of course it is not a new element in the way western analysts and historians approach the area.

Overall again a great book to read.

Amazing ride through modern history. Now I understand how we got to the war in the 1990's.

In 1999, the Balkan states, consisting of Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the former Yugoslavia, Vojvodina, Croatia, and Slovenia, had been the center of two wars that involved all of Europe, Russia, and the United States. So much devastation and bloodshed was unleashed that there remain visible scars in many large cities in the Balkans.

Misha Glenny's 700 page 4-star book, The Balkans - Nationalism, War, and the Great Powers, 1804 - 1999 tells the story of this period and the history leading up to it.

The following is a sentence from the book which characterizes its style:
"On the evening of Monday 22 April 1996, a small group of Serbs were enjoying a drink at the Cakor café in Decani in western Kosovo."

Where detailed information is available, the author uses a personal approach to make the complex integrations of Balkan history more clear and interesting.

Wow! How can anyone expect to cover the 19th and 20th century Balkans in one book? Well, Misha Glenny certainly did an excellent job!

Unlike European history, Balkan history is chaotic and played out on multiple stages with little or no correlation between the actors. When I bought the book, I thought it was going to be a mish-mash of confusing narrative, bouncing back and forth willy-nilly between one Balkan "state" and another, forward and backward in time ... until my head started spinning.

But I was surprised - pleasantly so - by the author's skill at pulling so many different ideas and political bickerings together into a one-volume book. Most of the time, he has to cover it from "20,000 feet" to avoid bogging the text down with too much detail. And yet, there's enough detail at "10 feet" to understand the forces at work.

It's one of the best overall historic views of this varied part of the world that I've ever read. If you want to read about some of the thoughts and ideologies that shaped the Balkans for two centuries, this is the book you want to read.

If you only read one book on the Balkans this is the one you should read. Glenny takes us through the rise of the Balkans following their separation from the Ottoman Empire through the present day break up of Yugoslavia. The fall of communism is well illustrated as is the struggle between Russia and Austria for mastery of the region. The establishment of Bulgaria as the "super power" of the Balkans by the Russians is illustrated in the comical light that it was at the time. This book does an excellent job of thoroughly covering the salient points in the region and doing so with wonderful prose. This is an incredibly troubled area and understanding that this area was created out of conflict is essential for studying the region today. This is great for an expert or a beginner. Regardless of how much you've looked at the Balkans this is a must have for any European history library.