Reviews (2)

Good in parts.
This is a welcome work on the history of Jugoslavia under German and Italian occupation, sheding light on some unexpected facets of life during the period in question.
An essential reference work on WWII Yugoslavia
Tomasevich did a phenomenal job on a daunting subject: the political and economic history of Yugoslavia during the Second World War, focusing on Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. This massive book will be especially valuable for the chapters on economic activity in the Axis-occupied Independent State of Croatia from 1941 to 1945, material that has rarely been presented in English in such detail (over a hundred pages in the two chapters on this subject). The sections on the many religious groups of Yugoslavia are likewise comprehensive, with a great deal of new information. The bibliography is in itself a triumph of thoroughness. Read more

Subjects:  1. World War, 1939-1945    2. History: World    3. Revolutionary    4. Military - Other    5. Balkan Peninsula - History    6. European history: Second World War    7. Second World War, 1939-1945    8. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia    9. Yugoslavia    10. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    11. Axis occupation, 1941-1945    12. Military - World War II    13. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    14. History - Military / War    15. History   

Reviews (2)

St. Blasius, Middle Age Mystic
Robin Harris has demonstrably added to what has been called "The Pearl of the Adriatic"'s historical foundation in a delightful way.Not only is "Dubrovnik" well researched, it is also a joy to read, particularly passages describing the complexity of Dubrovnik's trade until the Napoleonic Wars.One travels to Dubrovnik, looks at history -Harris has done much to shed light on Dubrovnik's great walls and its rich cultural preserve.
A Must Have Book!
Simply put this is a must have book for any person interested in Croatian history, especially the city of Dubrovnik (the Croatian Athens). The author pulls together his information from an exhaustive list of mostly non-English resources and puts them together in a very orderly and interesting manner. The author brings life to the history of Dubrovnik (not that he would need to) which makes for a very interesting and easy read. I personally loved this book from beginning to end and can only hope the author produces more books on Croatian history (perhaps the next one could tackle the history of Split?). Overall, an excellent piece of work and a great price for a book that should be in every serious Croatian historian's library. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dubrovnik (Croatia)    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Croatia    8. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    9. History / Europe / General    10. History / General    11. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (1)

Britain's Unfinest Hour
The years of Conservative rule in the 1990s were in some ways unhappy times for Britain. The Major administrations appeared to lack any sense of purpose, and there were serious policy failures: the disastrous membership of the European exchange rate mechanism, the hugely misconceived rail privatisation.
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Subjects:  1. 1979-1997    2. Bosnia and Hercegovina    3. Foreign relations    4. General    5. Great Britain    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    10. Battles & campaigns    11. Bosnia-Herzegovina    12. British Isles    13. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. History / General    15. International relations    16. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (2)

Our world
First of all, I'd like to praise Roy Gutman's for being an example of what an honest man should be. This is a book about

Subjects:  1. Atrocities    2. Bosnia and Hercegovina    3. Eastern Europe - Yugoslavia    4. General    5. History, Military    6. History: World    7. Politics - Current Events    8. Sources    9. Yugoslav War, 1991-    10. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995   

Reviews (6)

Sremac's Fantasy
War of Words is an amazing piece of racist propaganda matched only by the fantasy-laden accounts of the wars in Yugoslavia which came from Belgrade's state-run media, or the version of the war in Iraq as told by the Iraqi information minister.Sremac is not only a representative of the Serbian government, hardly making her account unbaised, but fails to account for aspects of the Bosnian war (such as the starvation and murder of Muslim prisoners in detention camps) which were confirmed by witnesses from dozens of relief organizations and media groups, as well as thousands of tesitmonials at the UN warcrimes tribunals.Sremac further claims that Washington's motivation for supprting the Muslims was based on some crazy desire to intervene in countires after the cold war (laughable is you know anything about Clinton's record of intervention, or if you examine how long it took Washington to intervene in Bosnia and under what conditions).She relies on the accounts of the war from such indicted criminal murderers as Radovan Karadzic, and subscribes to common Serbian attempts to blame the victim of genocide for Serbia's vile crimes.If you want to know what it is like to read some nice racist fiction, or experience Balkan duplicity firsthand, pick this work up, glance it over, burn it, and then scold yourself for having put money in the pockets of somebody like Sremac.Further, the people on this site who wrote rave reviews of this book are probably either ultranationalist members of the Serbian parliament or themselves indicted war criminals hiding in Pale.

Subjectivity vs. Objectivity
Danielle Sremac was a registered agent lobbying on behalf of a foreign government, namely, the Yugoslav (Serbian and Montenegrin governments) during the wars of the 1990s. This can be looked up in public records, as proscribed by law. Serb Propaganda
This is a great book if you prefer to hear the Serb version of the Bosnian War and the Kosovo conflict.Sremac does a great job of painting a picture of innocent Serbs and blood-thirsty Muslims and Croats. She condemnsWestern media for their "tendencies" to report from only oneside(Muslims and Albanians), yet she nelects to find error with thereporting of the wars from the Serb propaganda machine in Belgrade. Thisbook goes so far to claim that the death toll of Muslims and Croats wasexaggerated and that the seige of Sarajevo was more detrimental to theinnocent Serbs rather than the many citizens who lost their lives on SniperAlley .The Serb mentality of Us Against the World is blatantly linedthrough all aspects of this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. Foreign public opinion, Americ    3. Foreign public opinion, American    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. International Relations - General    7. Political Rhetoric    8. Political Science    9. Press coverage    10. Propaganda    11. Public Opinion And Foreign Policy    12. Public opinion    13. Rhetoric    14. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    15. Central government policies    16. International relations    17. Media studies    18. Political Science / International Relations    19. USA    20. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia    21. c 1990 to c 2000   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Chemistry (General)    6. Chemistry - Organic    7. Chemistry, Organic    8. Chemists    9. Children's All Ages - Biography / Autobiography    10. Children's Baby/PS - Biography    11. General    12. History    13. Prelog, V    14. Science/Mathematics    15. Scientists    16. Scientists - General    17. Yugoslavia    18. Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology    19. Biography: general    20. Chemistry | Organic Chemistry    21. History of science    22. Organic chemistry   

Reviews (6)

pretty good BUT!!!
The author does not really spend his time with Tito's Partizans which weere mainly based in Bosnia. He is posted in Solvenia, which experienced a no less bloody and brutal but very different conflict. Slovenia had a very unique experence during the Balkan war. Slovene Partizans were heavily influenced by, but not entirly controled by Tito until later in the war. Slovenia was, and still is, an ethnically homogenous area it did not experience civil war to the degree that was seen in Bosnia or Croatia. Here the Partizans were hell bent on their chief goal of expeling the occupying fascist powers of Italy/Germany and all assosiated with them.

A Preview of 21st Century Warfare
I read this book specifically because I wanted to see what I could learn about partisan warfare from the military liaison point of view.I specifically wanted to see how many lessons might be applied to the situation in Afghanistan. Fascinating - True Adventures
Lindsay was an OSS military advisor who fought with Tito's partisans in Slovenia against the Nazis in World War II.His account is a highly-readable thrilling adventure story - climbing snowy mountains with the Germans in pursuit, crossing streams in the night, directing parachute drops, organizing Allied supplies to the Partisans.Lindsay's matter-of-fact prose is effective and adds credibility. He disdains the frequent Allied advisors who are overly pro-Partisan, never losing his distrust of communism.But he clearly has a lot of respect for the Partisans' organizational skills, intelligence, courier lines, and tactics.Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. History - Military / War    3. Military - World War II    4. World War II - Europe    5. European history: Second World War    6. Second World War, 1939-1945    7. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (8)

A Pebble in My Shoe
This book gives a first hand look at what life was like for the German Donauschwaben who were victims of Tito's ethnic cleansing.At the age of eight, Katherine Flotz' world turns upside down.Through her eyes we learn about the brutal abuse that her family endured.This book also helps us realize that her story is not an isolated incident since she is only one of the 15 million Germans who were displaced (2 million of them murdered)during this time. My hats off to the author for having the courage to write about this difficult period in her life so that we may learn more about it.

Lost Childhood
In the spring of 1945 World War ll ended. But in Communist Eastern Europe all hell broke loose for millions of Ethnic Germans.Revenge was taken on young and old.Families were torn apart for no other reason then to obtain vengeance.Many people died.The majority of the victims who survived those brutal years still carry these memories in silence. Very few people have dared to go back and recall that time - let alone put down their memories on paper because the pain is to great.
A triumph of life over cruel adversity
What a wonderful gift from Katherine Hoeger Flotz! A deeply moving memoir of a child's recollections of life in one of Tito's concentration camps. A story not only of survival but of triumph over deadly adversity. This is a most valuable contribution to the too little known saga of the ethnic cleansing of the Donauschwabians after WWII. As a fellow survivor from another village I was often moved to tears as I read this memoir. Enriched by deeply evocative family photos, touching but never vengeful, A Pebble in MY Shoe deserves a wide readership. A triumph from a wise and generous survivor. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    2. History / Europe / Eastern    3. Atrocities    4. Flotz, George    5. Flotz, Katherine Hoeger    6. Genocide    7. Germans    8. Krusevlje (Concentration camp)    9. Refugees, German    10. Serbia and Montenegro    11. Yugoslavia   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Croatia    3. Dalmatia    4. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    5. Europe - Italy    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Istria (Croatia and Slovenia)    10. Italians    11. Italy    12. Territorial questions    13. World War, 1939-1945    14. Ethnic studies    15. European history: from c 1900 -    16. Genocide    17. History / Italy    18. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    19. Second World War, 1939-1945    20. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (4)

Misleading Propaganda
Having studied Eastern European history for a number of years now it pains me to have witnessed the slow decline of professor Fine's writings.He managaed to keep his biases under control somewhat earlier in his carreer but since the break up of Yugoslavia the level of vindictiveness in his writings have increased exponentially. This breathtaking piece of propaganda is a throwback to communist era chauvinism which will ring all too familiar to those who lived through those dark times.
Such a Waste
I was tempted to give this book 2 stars due to the wealth of sources used but unfortunately the author had a tendency to use only snippets of information which seem to support his thesis.However, most of his sources when read in its entirety directly contradict his conclusions, i.e. that a Croatian "nation" did not really exist until the national awakenings of the 19th century.
Disapointing
Some of the more specific problems I have with this particular book is the constant distinction the author makes between Croats and Slavs.Are not the Croats themselvs slavic, or atleast culturally slavic?If so then why such wonderment that historical sources used the terms interchangeably?Many still refer to all Eastern Europeans as slavs and Croats today often use the english form of their name when talking to foreigners rather than the native form "Hrvati".That they did the same in the middle ages is hardly surprising.
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Subjects:  1. 1527-1918    2. Croatia    3. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    4. Ethnic Studies - General    5. Ethnicity    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Medieval    10. National characteristics, Croatian    11. Renaissance    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    15. History / Medieval    16. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (2)

Seeking to the reveal roots of bitter clashes and struggles
Leslie Benson is the Senior Lecturer of Politics and Sociology at University College Northampton, United Kingdom. In Yugoslavia: A Concise History, Professor Benson provides his readers with a straightforward, meticulously researched, and informatively narrated historical study of the fierce ethnic rivalries that have hallmarked the Balkans and frequently erupted into horrific episodes of militant barbarism and the kinds of "ethnic cleansing" atrocities that shocked late twentieth century Europe and America. A thorough examination seeking to the reveal roots of bitter clashes and struggles, Yugoslavia: A Concise History is especially recommended introductory reading for non-specialist general readers with an interest in Yugoslavian history and acquiring a basic understanding of the historical background to the contemporary antagonisms that have so scarred the peoples and territories that once comprised the multi-ethnic nation of Yugoslavia.

A very good book on a complicated subject
The history of the area known as Yugoslavia is so complicated that the average person will throw up his hands in trying to understand the reasons for Milosevic's ethnic cleansing, NATO's 1999 air strikes against Kosovo and Serbia and the uneasy peace today. As the Ottoman Empire began to crumble, various elements saw their opportunity to hasten the Ottoman withdrawal and grab land and power. The turning point came in October 1912 when Montenegro declared war on Turkey, with the Serbs crushing an Ottoman army in a massed battle at Kumanovo in Northern Macedonia and taking Kosovo. A policy of terror designed to alter the ethnic composition of Kosovo and strengthen Serbia's claims to the province followed, leading to the massacre of about 20,000 Kosovar Albanians followed by torture, maiming, and forced conversions. In May 1913 Serbia and Greece, supported by Montenegro and Romania defeated Bulgaria; Serbian nationalist fervor boiled over as Old Serbia had been recovered, the battle of Kosovo was avenged and the Turk routed. On 28 June 1914 the Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb; Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia triggering World War I in which 40% of the Serb armed forces and 25% of the total Serb population perished. Serbia was too weak to claim a seat at the diplomatic table when the secret 1915 Treaty of London gave Serbia Bosnia-Herzegovina and a portion of southern Dalmatia where there was a concentration of Orthodox Christians. The abdication of the Russian Tzar in February 1917 robbed Serbia of its most powerful support. Following the war, seven treaties settled various territorial claims, Albania became an Italian protectorate, the Kosova Albanians revolted against Serbian rule, the Yugoslav Communist Party was formed, Tito returned from Russia where he had been a prisoner of war exposed to ideas and methods of the October Revolution, intrigue abounded everywhere jousting for power or justice, anarchy and murder ruled, people profiteered while others went hungry.Drained of blood and treasure, Serbia struggled to make good its claims against hostile Italian diplomacy while trying to integrate minorities none of which welcomed rule from Belgrade. The communists gained power in local elections and 16 parties were represented in the 1920 elections to choose a constituent assembly. The electoral success of the Communist party with an appeal well beyond the numerically tiny working class, exceeded the worst fears in government circles. "The kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes could hardly have got off to a worse start. Of the three founder-peoples, two were recalcitrant joiners. Now a rump 'Serbia' Assembly had passed a law giving apparently limitless power to the executive. The scene was set for two decades of political paralysis, which ended (when it was too late to make any difference) with the partitioning of the state and the outbreak of Hitler's war in the Balkans."Read more

Subjects:  1. Balkan Peninsula - History    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Eastern Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Yugoslavia    8. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    9. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Subjects:  1. 1992-2003    2. Bibliography    3. General    4. Historiography    5. History    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Yugoslavia    10. Former Czechoslovakia    11. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    12. Political Science / General   

Reviews (4)

Objectivity Might Be the Key Word Describing this Book
Considering its location, in the continent considered as the hearth of modern knowledge, culture and science, there hardly exists any other place about which the world knows less than Kosovo. So every attempt to enlighten this obscure part of Europe should be congratulated. The matter becomes even more important after one of the most recent wars, where NATO, the world's biggest and best-equipped military force, was involved. Kosovo (Anthem Slavic and Russian Studies)
Only intellectual blindness may prevent reader to instantly recognize Stephen Schwartz subjective and groundless interpretation of history. Exceptional historical insight in region
KOSOVO: Background to a War (UK) by Stephen Schwartz provides a concise yet detailed account of the main historical and cultural political currentsthat created the necessity for the NATO intervention and occupation.Schwartz is an especially astute observer of telling historical parallelsand refined ethnic sensibilities, probably because he speaks the languagesand makes himself available to discuss the political and religiousimplications with soldiers, politicians, scholars and common people. Thestudy represents a political analysis of the central issues between theSerbs and Albanians that continues to exasperate the area.Read more

Subjects:  1. Current Affairs    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Ethnic relations    4. Europe - Baltic States    5. General    6. History    7. International    8. Kosovo (Serbia)    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Civil war    12. Current Events / International    13. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Kosovo    15. Nato    16. Serbs    17. War    18. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Editorial Review

In the summer of 1998, freelance journalist Greg Campbell got into a rental car in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, and drove across Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro into Kosovo, where Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic had recently begun stepping up an ongoing "ethnic cleansing" campaign against the ethnic Albanians who make up the majority of the region's population. Staying with local journalists--some of whom were also part of the underground Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)--Campbell was forced to confront the consequences of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.Read more

Reviews (6)

Good Start
I think this book details why politicians and large political / military organizations like NATO have such a difficulty in successfully performing low level military conflicts like the peacekeeping effort in the Yugoslavia region.This book details by representing the destruction and ongoing fighting, just how ineffective the peacekeeping process was at the start due to a half-hearted commitment by the political leaders.The military in the conventional sense, is not a police force or social working group, the purpose of the military is to destroy the enemy.When asking this force to go about a job they are not designed for with one hand tied behind their back and the constant fear of every decision being second-guessed, is there any surprise that the effort did not work for some time. Greg Campbell - You're a great writer
Well,first of all I must admit that I'm halfway the book now but I'm already able to recommend this book. I had a library copy at home when I bought this book and to be honest I was sorry I did that because I could read the book for free BUT in the very first pages thanks to the writing of Mr.Campbell I have congratulated this book for getting a placein the bookshelf of mine called "Only the best books I've everread in my life". This book is so good as it tells things as they were.Mr.Campbell tells the truth and doesnt sympathise anybody except the justice. His writing is amazing and you wouldn't be surprise when you get transfered so easily into a strange world full of mysteries. I try to buy every single book about my country and I have plenty of those but "The Road to Kosovo" is the best one. I'll finish by saying -Even if you read 100 books in this subject you wont be able to find as much true information as in this one. And YOU'LL GET TO KNOW THE BOSNIA,KOSOVA AS YOU KNOW YOUR OWN COUNTRY - AND THAT'S ALL THANKS TO GREG CAMPBELL

A good quick read on the Balkans
The Road to Kosovo A Balkan Diary was a good fast read.I found his experiences similar to a "road trip" I had taken through the R.S. and Croatia with Bosniak License Plates while on vacation during my yearworking for the U.N. The book gives you a good feel for a foreigner'simpression of the area. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1980-    2. Bosnia and Hercegovina    3. Campbell, Greg    4. Description And Travel    5. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    6. Eastern Europe - History    7. Essays & Travelogues    8. Europe - General    9. History    10. History - General History    11. History: World    12. Kosovo (Serbia)    13. Peace    14. Politics/International Relations    15. Serbia and Montenegro    16. Travel    17. Civil war    18. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    19. Journeys    20. Other prose: from c 1900 -    21. Serbia    22. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Subjects:  1. (Thomas Stearns),    2. 1888-1965    3. 20th century    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Eliot, T. S    8. Eliot, T. S.    9. General    10. History    11. Poets, American    12. Yugoslavia   

Reviews (6)

Balkan Murder
Lord Owen is clearly getting brickbats for being "pro Serb" (he has said as a witness to Milosevic's "trial" that he was the only leader who consistently supported peace & that any form of racism was "anathema" to him). On the other hand nobody points out any factual errors. One reviewer refers to Fikret Abdic as a smuggler when, as a matter of fact, he was the most popular moslem politician & Bosnia who had clearly beaten Izetbegovic in a straight election.
Horrible
Horrible book from the person who has no right to even talk about the war in Bosnia, since he himself was indirectly responsible for prolonging it.I would strongly recommend a book by Brendan Simms "Unfinest Hour - Britain and the Destruction of Bosnia" that clarifies Owen's role during the war in Bosnia.

Long, dry apology mirrors western approach to Bosnian peace
Lord Owen's recounting of his efforts to help resolve the Bosnian war is really little more than a list of meetings and conferences. To this dry unending litany he adds a few cursory and, in some cases, inaccurate descriptions of players associated with the conflict. If you are hoping to get insight from a seemingly well placed person who spent hours and days locked in discussion with some of the 20th Century's most reviled figures you will not find it here. His descriptions are little more than ambiguous diplomatic niceties. During the course of this confusing peace process, Owen only occasionally pens restrained displeasure about the continued obstructionism of American administrations and the blatant deception of Balkan leaders. Just as the international community feared backlash against any form of decisive action, it seems Lord Owen had similar reservations about libel - neither approach is conducive to establishing lasting peace nor fruitful discourse. Owen's isolation in conference rooms and hotels quickly becomes apparent as his detached, incomplete descriptions of realities on the ground appear more like secondhand gossip than any useful form of analysis. Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Current Affairs    3. Diplomatic history    4. Diplomats    5. Eastern Europe - Yugoslavia    6. Great Britain    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Personal narratives, British    10. Political    11. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    12. Owen, David   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (1)

Book for the start
This is a good book for someone who want to start exploring a history of Serbs, and gives you a basic information about people, culture and political and social history. For others this is a book you realy need for personal library. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. National characteristics, Serb    8. National characteristics, Serbian    9. Serbia    10. Serbs    11. Yugoslavia    12. Ethnography    13. NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS    14. SERBIA_HISTORY    15. Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural    16. YUGOSLAVIA_HISTORY   

Reviews (1)

Excellent Reference
Just like the back cover says, this is an excellent reference book for high school and college students studying the Balkans.After checking out over 20 sources for a term paper on Yugoslavia, this book turned out to be the one I cited most. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1980-1992    2. 1992-2003    3. Balkan Peninsula - History    4. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    5. Europe - General    6. History    7. History - Military / War    8. History: World    9. Politics and government    10. Yugoslav War, 1991-    11. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    12. Yugoslavia    13. Bosnia-Herzegovina    14. Civil war    15. European history: from c 1900 -    16. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    17. History / Europe / General    18. Warfare & defence    19. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia    20. c 1980 to c 1990    21. c 1990 to c 2000   

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Modern - 20th Century    6. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    7. History / Military / General    8. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia    9. c 1990 to c 2000   

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 y