Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation

Although, as the authors note, they largely leave the Serbian-Albanian conflict in Kosovo aside, this book clearly explains how the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in a sense began with Slobodan Milosevic's manipulation of that issue in the 1980s. What most people are only beginning to be aware of about Kosovo is in fact a late chapter in a story that's been going on for a very long time now, most of which this book tells better than any other.

The authors may not have actually conducted hundreds of interviews, but it sure seems like it. Just about every major player is quoted in this book. It is very detailed. A great book if you are looking for a good review of events leading up to and past the break up of Yugoslavia.

I became involved in the Bosnian crisis in a professional capacity as an intelligence analyst and briefing officer at the headquarters, U.S. European command, and served in Sarajevo with the initial NATO Peace Implementation Force (IFOR). I have been studying and following the history of this area and events in Bosnia ever since. I am familiar with many of the events in the crisis and personalities involved, and found this to be an outstanding summary of the process of the disintegration of Yugoslavia. The portion of the book covering the rise of Milosevic and the departure from Yugoslavia of Slovenia is particularly well done. The coverage of the Bosnian war is a bit cursory, and takes the perspective of the conventional wisdom of the international journalistic community. I know from talking to UNPROFOR officers and others who were there that the Muslims were not totally innocent victims and the Serbs universally evil monsters. With that small caveat, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone trying to understand the entire Yugoslav crisis. It is meticulously researched and documented. Anyone trying to understand what is happening in Kosovo right now would be well advised to read this book.

Very detailed, yet easy to read. Very objective. May not appeal to people with 10 sec. sound bite mentality, but for those that seek to understand how this tragedy came about, this is an excellent book.