Reviews (40)

Something to upset everyone
General (ret) Wesley Clark's recollections of events leading up to the 1999 bombing campaign against Serbia truly has something to upset or annoy everyone.
If you have to read this book, buy it used and save some $
This is not a book, but a rambling memoir filled with too many personal comments of little substance.Do not expect an objective analysis as to the causes or the events surrounding the Kosovo conflict.Nor expect a CLEAR or INSIGHTFUL book on how military decisions are made and executed.
The lessons of Kosovo
"Waging Modern War," by Wesley K. Clark, is an account of the 1999 NATO military action in Kosovo from the perspective of the author, an American army general who oversaw the operation.Clark notes that this book is "a personal memoir" and is not intended to be "a complete record of the war."Included as supplemental features are a "Cast of Characters," with descriptions of over 60 individuals from the international group of people involved in the story; a list of the abbreviations used; a map; and an index.
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Subjects:  1. Current Affairs    2. History - Military / War    3. Military & War    4. Military - General    5. Politics/International Relations   

Reviews (1)

The definitive work on Bosnia
Burg and Shoup's book will stand for some years as the definitive work on the Bosnian war and the missteps of international intervention there.It is a must read by anyone interested in what happened in that mountainousBalkan country.Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. History - Military / War    3. Military - General    4. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Bosnia-Herzegovina    8. Ethnography    9. International relations    10. Peace studies    11. Warfare & Defence    12. c 1990 to c 2000   

Reviews (5)

The fight for freedom- of the press and of the people
I may be biased because I have worked with Kemal but I have to say that I truly enjoyed this book. as an American I never fully understood what happened in Sarajevo- why it happened or the extent of the conflict overthere. After reading this book I was rather ashamed that the rest of theworld did nothing. Worse, we continue to allow atrocities to be perpetuatedin that corner of the world. This book remains topical. Conflicts continueto erupt in the region and anyone who wants to speak intelligently on thesubject, understand the story that's not in the news or would like to readabout an un-sung hero, read this book.Kemal is presently working on a newbook and reading this one would be a great starter. I would read this bookover and over again. Its the story of people fighting for democracy andfreedom (focused on freedom of the press) and the long bloody road that layin front of them.

Essential reading from ?Books on Bosnia?
This memoir by the editor-in-chief of Oslobodjenje from 1991 to 1995 bears unrivalled witness to the resilience and survival of an operative civil society in Sarajevo under siege. Under Kurspahi 's editorship the paper came to symbolize the resistance of Bosnia-Herzegovina and its people togenocidal aggression and to terrible deprivation, while at the same timemaintaining its journalistic integrity and critical independence when to doso was hard indeed. (This short review is from "Book on Bosnia" publishedby The Bosnian Institute)

bad writting , fishy explanation of what happened
bad writting , fishy explanation of what happene ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Bosnia and Hercegovina    3. Bosnian newspapers    4. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    5. Eastern Europe - Yugoslavia    6. General    7. History    8. Journalism    9. Journalism and the war    10. Politics - Current Events    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Press And Society    14. Sarajevo    15. Yugoslav War, 1991-   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Photo Techniques    3. Photography    4. United States - 20th Century    5. 21st century    6. Bosnia-Herzegovina    7. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    8. Photographic reportage    9. Photography / General   

Reviews (66)

Zlata's Diary
This is the true story of a child's life, Zlata Filipovic, in Sarajevo when the war in 1991 began. She writes down her life surviving in the horrible conditions of the war for 3 years. Her life was destroyed, and instead of thinking about normal 11 year old stuff like she should have been, she had to worry about food, shelter and whenever her family stepped outside the door, whether or not she'd see them again. This holds so much detail to life in Sarajevo, so much description about the horror and damage done it's a great novel to sit down and read. It'll keep you on the edge of your seat. If you enjoy non-fiction novels about wars, strife and survival, then you'll truely enjoy this book.

ZlatasDiary- a great book Nurdan Mekan
I loved this book it is about the bosnian civil war, and how she survived it. Zlata is an eleven year old girl and she is keeping a diary about her life in the war. If you want a book about a war get this. I would give it a 4 star because it can be boring sometimes and to repetitive.

Funny!
Zlata's Diary
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography And Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Bosnia and Hercegovina    6. Childhood Memoir    7. Children    8. Children and war    9. Eastern Europe - General    10. General    11. History    12. Sarajevo    13. Sarajevo (Bosnia and Hercegovina)    14. War And Peace    15. Women    16. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    17. Cooking / Chinese   

Reviews (4)

have faith
This book and others from Mr Weible have changed my life forever. It truely has brought me closer to GOD thru the Blessed Virgin Mary. What better way to come closer to our savior than tru his holy mother. And for all people who may not quite believe or have a doubt because of what the bible says, I just have to say that why would it be kinda weird for bad angels bringing people closer to the Son. Open your heart to God and dont let your mind get in the way. God will not let you go astray!! GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ALL THE WORLD!

Im sure its true but you need to read the bible as well
yes the spirit being calling herself the virgin mary is doing signs and wonders. purchase the bible (here on amazon of course) it warns of angels of light doing signs and wonders in the end times but these miracles are not from the god of the bible.catholic teachings on MARY are in direct conflict with the bible...

Wayne's World: The Global Grace of Medjugorje
In Medjugorje: the Mission, the writer tells of his work of spreading the stories and messages of the appearances of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, at Medjugorje. I was swept up in story after amazing story of miracles andconversions. The added treat this time round is reading about the globalnature of his mission, which takes him to Trinidad and Tobago, EasternEurope, Great Britain, Australia and others, including Singapore, my ownnative country! The book gives the reader a behind-the-scenes view of whatit's like and what it takes to be a travelling evangelist who's much indemand. Weaved into the narrative are his deepest ever revelations aboutthe workings of Grace in his own personal and family life. Altogether, itis an impressive and touching story. Wayne's style is engaging, honest andtruly Christian. The book's 400+ pages long, but I didn't want it to end! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Apparitions and miracles    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Blessed Virgin, Saint    5. Bosnia and Hercegovina    6. Christianity - Catholicism    7. Church history    8. Inspirational - General    9. Mary,    10. Maryology    11. Meugorje    12. Me³ugorje    13. Me³ugorje (Bosnia and Hercegovina)    14. Religion    15. Religious    16. Weible, Wayne    17. Mary   

Editorial Review

Peter Maass from the center of the nightmare in Bosnia, a war correspondent's montage of images - eerie, grotesque, ironic, angry, absurd. A Serb and Muslim, friends before the war, exchanging gossip via shortwave radio hours before they will try to kill each other.The Serbian president coolly denying reports of atrocities that have been witnessed by hundreds. A battlefield doctor performing miracles of surgery without anesthetic.Drivers without headlights gambling their lives in the darkness of no-man's-land while schoolchildren scamper across Sniper Alley.The author takes us with him into the minefields of modern war with a fierce, vivid, and personal book. ... Read more

Reviews (43)

I have a confession to make...
I have a confession to make - I am guilty of ignorance.
A little editing would do wonders
This is a fascinating book.Unfortunately the author has a habit of referencing other books (most notably Black Lamb Grey Falcon and Catch-22) far too often, usually just when you've lost youself in the book.His insight and explanations of what he experienced are great but they often stray back and forth in time.This sometimesgets a little hard to follow.All of these could be cured with just a little editing.Other than that the only problem I had with the book is that I wanted to know more of his experiences.

An astounding read...
This astonishing book tells the story of a journalist who was sent to Bosnia to cover the Serb invasion of that country in the early 1990's.The story the author has to tell is amazing, sad, and troublesome.It is absolutely incredible that this could happen in 'civilized' Europe in the 1990's, and no one intervened to stop it.The author tells the stories that you did not read in the newspapers, and gives the perspective of someone who suffered with the Bosnians.A highly engrossing, highly recommended read! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bosnia and Hercegovina    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: World    6. International Relations - General    7. Military - General    8. Personal narratives, American    9. Yugoslav War, 1991-    10. Political Science / International Relations   

Editorial Review

Journalist David Rohde was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for his reporting on the Bosnian city of Srebrenica. After the United Nations' "safe haven" fell, Rohde investigated reports of massacres, and was arrested by Bosnian Serbs while investigating mass graves near the town.

Reviews (27)

Anatony of a Massacre
This is an extraordinary book that describes the now forensically-proven slaughter in chilling detail and pulls no punches: indeed, while Rohde rightly places the blame for this massacre squarely on the shoulders of the Bosnian Serb leadership and their patrons in Serbia proper, the UN, US, and Europeans are also taken to task for their incompetence and negligence, as is the Bosnian Government.

A good read, although could be more complete
This is a well written book and with its hour by hour simultaneous documentary approach is rather like another book I have called "The Day Guernica Died" by different authors published 30 years ago.This one looks at the actions, or inactions, of those involved on the ground, and at the wider political picture including that of the pontification of UN and NATO leaders, who you feel after reading this may as well not been there at all. After reading it you get a good feel for what happened, except in a few places where the author admits he can't decide betweenn conflicting accounts, but are still left wondering about why it happened - what was the basis of the underlying ehtnic tensions that lead to the Muslims, Serbs and Croats having the attitudes to each other that they did?The whole war in former Yugoslavia seemed quite unbelievable to those of us who were well removed from the events, and probably even to those in some neighbouring countries.After all, it was (and still is) a lovely countryside full of historic pretty towns and villages and the people seemed unified under Tito who, although communist, wasn't under the Soviet yoke.In fact the people had a reputation for humor and fun - within a short space of time it all changed.We are told that in WWII the Croats generally aligned themselves with the Nazis while the Serbs generally fought against them, but not a whole lot more.(The author doesn't mention that the Muslims generally aligned themselves with the Nazis too and in fact formed an SS division: 13.Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS "Handschar")This background information is something you will need to look for elsewhere.A few photos in the book would have helped also.

One more thing
there is an interesting rebuttal of this propaganda piecewhich prompted the author of this book to personally respond. I found it particularly interesting as Mr Rohde reverted to personal attacks when his lies and manipulations were challenged. It's written by Jared Israel and it's located here http://www.tenc.net/articles/jared/fulltext.htm ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Atrocities    2. Bosnia and Hercegovina    3. Campaigns    4. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    5. History, Military    6. History: World    7. International Relations - General    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Srebrenica    10. Srebrenica (Bosnia and Hercegovina)    11. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    12. History    13. Europe - Eastern    14. Modern - 20th Century   

Reviews (6)

GREAT BOOK
I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FRENCH FORIEGN LEGION HISTORY,ESPECIALLY THE 2E REP, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

Not at all entertaining
I was not at all entertained by this book.I have read several books on the French Foreign Legion and this one was probably the most boring;in fact, it was text-book-boring.I tried reading it and just could not endure it beyond the first 100 pages.It may have historical detail as mentioned in other reviews, but it is certainly very dry and has no exciting moments or narrative.Sort of like telling war stories while on elephant tranquilizers.

Great book, touches all bases
This is a good book. I think it's best for those who are more interested in military history in general. I expected something else but that's my fault for not reading the description. This book gives and accurate account of history as well as interviews with legionaires AND personal thoughts. I recommend this book for those intersted in history. Not for those interested in joining. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. History: World    5. Military - General    6. Military - Other    7. Military Combat Units    8. Military Science    9. History / Military / General    10. Special & elite forces   

Reviews (14)

More than The Bridge Betrayed!
Sells has been know to write interesting books covering issues and clashes between Christians and Muslims, due to his Serbian heritege and his background as a Professor and chairperson of the Department of Religion at Haverford College, in the US. He critisices his own in a very tough and honest way. Even if some fanatics will claim that he only speaks about the horrible acts of crime conducted by Serbians and Croats.
Awsome
I just finished reading this book and it was so intriguing that I finished it in one sitting. It will open your eyes, on the matter of Bosnia, so big that you'll be able to see the craters on Uranus, if there is any over there. Read it!

Solid
Sells gives us a solid account of the war in Bosnia in the early 1990's. However, I do have some criticisms. While he covers in quite abit of detail Croat and especially Serb religious fanaticism and violence, he only mentions the Bosniac's own atrocities on a couple of occasions.Read more

Subjects:  1. Atrocities    2. Bosnia and Hercegovina    3. Comparative Religion    4. Death & Dying    5. Destruction and pillage    6. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    7. Muslims    8. Religion    9. Religion - World Religions    10. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    11. Bosnia-Herzegovina    12. Christian doctrinal theology    13. Civil war    14. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    15. Nationalism    16. Religion / General    17. The Holocaust    18. History    19. Yugoslavia   

Reviews (1)

Good addition to Weible Catalog
I read this latest book after finishing Medjugorje the Mission, also by Wayne Weible. Medjugorje the Mission was written in 1994. There is some continuation of the story about his family and its crusade against abortion, but the focus in this latest book is with young peoples' stories, not Wayne's own mission.As such, it is a wonderful and inspirational read and shows the value of the Medjugorje messages for conversion of everyone, no matter their age or circumstance.The book's format is tastefully done, with a chapter heading, story and at the end a message from Our Lady that has a connection to the story for the reader's personal meditation. Unlike the review from Publishers Weekly, I did not find the book syrupy, but do affirm its claim to help us regain our child-like innocence. When one has a pure heart they can hear God better and respond more fully to Our Lady's messages. In this world that is bent on corrupting everyone's innocence, this book is an antidote to the cynicism that occurs every day through the media and in interpersonal relationships. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Apparitions and miracles    3. Biography    4. Blessed Virgin, Saint    5. Bosnia and Hercegovina    6. Christianity - Catholicism    7. Church history    8. Inspirational - Catholic    9. Inspirational - General    10. Mary,    11. Me³ugorje    12. Me³ugorje (Bosnia and Hercegovina)    13. Miraculous Phenomena    14. Religion    15. Religion - Classic Works    16. Christian life & practice   

Reviews (3)

Good book
I thought that book is very good because it tells a llot of truth that happend in Srebrenica. I am very happy that Jan Willem Honig and Norbert Both took the time to tell the world what happened in Srebrenica.
A Study of the Massacre in Srebrenica
The massacre of thousands of Bosnians by Bosnian-Serbs following the fall of Srebrenica during the summer of 1995 was a lamentable and heinous crime in a civil war already noted for its unspeakable brutality.The events also served to show the indecisive and weak-willed approach the UN and the Americans adopted in response to the crisis.The events are complex and there is no doubt much that we are still not aware of, but the authors manage to piece together a sound account of the events surrounding this incident, in particular concerning the under-manned and ill-equiped Dutch contingent deployed in the Srebrenica "Safe-Area."

Chronicle of a Massacre
Honig and Both are Dutch foreign policy specialists who take an academic approach to the massacre of Srebrenica in Bosnia in July 1995.Their detailed accounts of UN policy debates and genocidal Serb attacks on thecivilian population leading to the expulsion of over 20,000 women andchildren and the murder of 6,000 Bosnian Muslim men clearly demonstrate thefailure of the international community's tepid approach to peace-keepingand the responsibility of the military and political leaders involved. There were no heroes at Srebrenica, only variable levels of guilt.Thebook is dispassionate and slightly distanced from the moral implications ofthe massacre.It is indeed a `record of a war crime'.Read more

Subjects:  1. Atrocities    2. Bosnia and Hercegovina    3. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    4. Europe - Baltic States    5. Genocide    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. International Relations - General    10. Sociology    11. Srebrenica    12. Violence in Society    13. Yugoslav War, 1991-    14. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    15. Encyclopaedias & Reference Works    16. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    17. History / Baltic States   

Editorial Review

On the morning of July 16, 1995, after storming the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, Serbian militiamen massacred hundreds of Muslim civilians. They buried their victims in a mass grave in a wheat field on the outskirts of town, after having been congratulated by their general, Ratko Mladic, who told them, "Finally, the time has come to take revenge on the Turks." Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent
This is an amazing book, detailing evidence collection by the ICTY war crimes tribunal at two mass grave sites - Srebrenica, a predominantly Muslim town in eastern Bosnia; and Vukovar, a mixed Serb-Croat town in eastern Croatia (contrary to the view of the previous reviewer, Vukovar is neither Muslim nor Bosnian).The photos are phenomenal.After a wrenching reading, one comes away with a few scattered thoughts.Namely: 'never again, and 'thank god there is an international tribunal to carry out prosecutions for these events when domestic courts are unwilling to do so'. Sickeningly beautiful; tough to take but necessary
This is a hard book to rate, for any number of reasons.For one thing, it's not nicely rounded; it doesn't tell a complete story, but provides ablistering snapshot of a small slice of history and an investigation stillin process.For another, its photos and text don't work closely together,but provide approximately parallel looks into the same awful tale.Hardestof all is the stunning vividness of the photography by Gilles Peress, andthe nagging suspicion that we share some small portion of blame forthis. Powerful, Powerful Account of War Crimes
Stover and Peress, through searing words and photographs, have created a record of the twogreatest war crimes in the conflicts that accompanied the breakup of Yugoslavia.The sack of the eastern Croatian town ofVukovar in 1991 by Serb forces, and the subsequent mass murder of over 200patients and staff from the local hospital is still a powerful and pivotalevent, not only because of the sheer magnitude of the atrocity, but alsobecause it was the first.Vukovar came before the siege of Sarajevo, therape and torture camps in Prijedor and Foca and elsewhere, before thedestruction of Mostar bridge, and the massacre at Srebrenica.Vukovar setthe standard for the atrocities that were to come, and eight years afterits destruction, the town is still a hollowed-out ruin with weeds pokingthrough shattered buildings and one-fourth of its prewar populationclinging precariously to subsistence in a destroyed economy. The siege andfall of Bosnia's Srebrenica in 1995, engineered by indicted war criminalRatko Mladic has been amply documented elsewhere, but this book is not amilitary history or the reconstruction of the crime.Rather it is aboutthe search for the missing and the identification of bodies pulled frommass graves.The authors follow the forensic specialists, theanthropologists and physicians who have created a sad but necessaryspecialty in this field.The exhumations are part of the search for thetruth, not only for the half-grieving, half-hopeful survivors who cling torumors about their loved ones, but for all people of compassion who hopethat finding some finality, and perhaps some justice, at the bottom ofthese graves will serve both the living and the dead. The exhumations andidentifications are carried out according to strict forensic standards sothe results can be used as evidence at the Hague war crimes tribunal.Ifwe are to forge any positive legacy from these atrocities, it may lie inallowing the children of both the victims and the executioners to leadnormal lives, free from fear and revenge and poisonous hatred.Memoriesare long in this region, and vengeance can take decades.The woman whoruns an orphanage for young Srebrenica survivors observes, "What isimportant now is the message the international community sends to theseboys and what they then tell their own children.If you say to a child,`Look, that man there killed your father, and now he lives in your house.' What kind of message is that going to send?But if you say, `That mankilled your father and that is why he is in prison.'The message is verydifferent.So, for now, there might not be a lot of hatred or revenge, butif we don't find a way to punish those responsible for these crimes, itwill surely be something we can count on in the future."To date, neitherMladic nor the "Vukovar Three" are in the tribunal's custody.For thechildren's sake, we can do better. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. Eastern Europe - General    3. History    4. Military - Other    5. Photoessays & Documentaries    6. Photography    7. Political Discontent And Violence    8. Political Freedom & Security - Human Rights    9. Politics/International Relations    10. War Crimes And Criminals    11. Bosnia-Herzegovina    12. Croatia    13. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. The Holocaust   

Editorial Review

Between 1991 and 1995 over a quarter million people died during the conflict in the Balkan states. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe did not understand--or chose not to understand--what this war was about. The U.N. sent peacekeeping forces to aid the helpless, but would not assert its will to bring a peaceful end to the atrocities.Read more

Reviews (35)

Milosevic's Favorite Bar in Dayton, Ohio
Imagine you are a regional or a global power dealing with a country torn by a civil war. Warring parties won't talk to each other and prefer to let guns speak, but they know that nothing short of a political solution will allow them to break the stalemate. They turn to you to solve this mess, but they are at the same time deeply resentful of your intervention and more than ready to denounce your interference if peace negotiations turn awry. Your allies, as well as the so-called international community, are not very supportive either: you know they will claim paternity to the victory in case of success but that you will the only one to bear the blame if things fail. To complicate matters, you know that you have a very short window of opportunity to exploit before the country plunges back into internal warfare. What do you do?
A first-class temperament and a first-class intellect
Holbrooke is sorely missed. He was one of the most competent and intelligent diplomats representing the US since General George Marshall's era.
Arrogant, brash and biased- Holbrooke's loathsome legacy
Today's Bosnia-Herzegovina is not so much a functioning country as a living testimony to the modern America policy of nation-building, and the man who brought it about in the Balkans, one Richard Holbrooke. Forthright to the point of unbearable arrogance, Holbrooke was heavily involved in the final phase of the Bosnian War (1992-95) and the escalation of the Kosovo crisis in 1998. While he has not offered an account of the latter, his Bosnian experiences are detailed in a 1998 memoir, To End a War. It is a somewhat self-serving, pompous, ignorant, crass and in places painfully trite book, without a trace of modesty - false or otherwise - which nonetheless captures Holbrooke's perspective perfectly and offers invaluable insights into America's role in modern Balkans affairs. Read more

Subjects:  1. Bosnia and Hercegovina    2. Diplomatic history    3. Discrimination & Racism    4. Eastern Europe - General    5. Government - U.S. Government    6. History    7. History: World    8. Holbrooke, Richard C    9. International Relations - General    10. Peace    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    13. Current Events / International    14. Eastern Europe    15. International relations    16. Peace studies   

Reviews (22)

Insightful reporting from a different perspective
Joe Sacco, Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995 (Fantagraphics, 2002)
The genocide of Muslims by Christians in the 1990s
I just finished reading this brilliant work. I was in Eastern Europe in 1991-1993 and saw the refugees coming out of Bosnia. I followed the story as close as I could, even visting a refugee camp. But Sacco's illustrations put me on the ground in the supposed safe zones. The brutality of the supposedly Christian Serbs to Muslim Bosnians is so overwheliming it makes any beheadings in Iraq look like a birthday party in comparison.
Awsome history graphic novel
A graphic novel that reveals the history of the Bosnian war and cleansing of Muslims and Crotians by the Serbs.Novel is by Joe Sacco a Journalist and cartoonist. He also has writtin other graphic novels. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1991-1995    2. 1992-    3. Bosnia and Hercegovina    4. Comic books, strips, etc    5. Discrimination & Racism    6. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    7. Eastern Europe - General    8. Fine Arts    9. General    10. Gorazde (Bosnia and Hercegovina)    11. History    12. History - Military / War    13. History: World    14. Military - Other    15. Yugoslav War,    16. Bosnia-Herzegovina    17. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    18. Graphic novels    19. Israel    20. Middle East    21. Warfare & Defence