Subjects:  1. Causes    2. Contemporary Politics - Eastern Europe    3. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    4. Eastern Europe - General    5. Ethnic relations    6. Ethnicity    7. Europe - Baltic States    8. General    9. History: World    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics and government    12. Race And Ethnic Relations    13. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    14. Yugoslavia    15. Current Events / General    16. Ethnic studies    17. Theory of warfare & military science    18. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (1)

Great recount of history....
The book, The Fall of Milosevic, by Dragan Bujosevic and Ivan Radovanovic describes the two hours of the afternoon on October 5, 2000, when the hold on power that Slobodan Milosevic and his regime of 13 years had in Yugoslavia, fell to the ground.Inside the pages you get a detailed look at what exactly happened on all sides of the conflict those two hours.The book focuses on how the police, miners, protestors and citizens united peacefully to overthrow Milosevic and his corrupt cronies.
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Subjects:  1. 1941-2006    2. 1992-2003    3. Coups d'etat    4. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    5. Eastern Europe - General    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Miloéseviâc, Slobodan,    10. Political Ideologies - Democracy    11. Politics and government    12. Serbia    13. Yugoslavia    14. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    15. Political Science / Democracy    16. Revolutions & coups    17. c 1990 to c 2000   

Reviews (1)

Passionate, usparing
Despite its title, Denitch's analysis of the Yugoslav collapse is not so much a study of ethnic nationalism as such as it is a thorough, passionate and often personal look into the causes and consequences of Yugoslavia'sbreak-up. Since he was a citizen of Yugoslavia, and also actively involvedto some extent in the political events of the early 1990s, Denitchgenerally discards with the customary cold, academic aloofness and feignedimpartiality and tells the reader squarely where he stands on issues suchas nationalism, the war in Yugoslavia, the events that led to the country'sdestruction, etc. This makes the text all the more interesting, as heoffers very fascinating, if not sometimes controversial, views and insightsinto recent Yugoslav history and the ethic politics which hold sway in theYugoslav successor states. His analysis of Yugoslavia's failure to progressinto a pluralist democracy, despite being THE European socialist state mostlikely to do so in the late 1980s, is very interesting: he notes that thefatal flaw made by Tito and the ruling communists was to decentralize thecountry's decision-making processes rather than democratizing its politicalscene. His opinion of nationalism is, needless to say, very disparaging,and his intent in this book is to warn that ethnic nationalism and identitypolitics in today's world are an enemy to democracy everywhere, not just inthe former Yugoslavia or the formerly communist Eastern Europe, butthroughout the world, including the developed, allegedly rational andpost-nationalist West. Regardless of what one thinks of Denitch'sstandpoint, this is definitely an important book to read for a betterunderstanding of Yugoslavia's break-up and the problems that still plaguethe region today. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1980-1992    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Eastern Europe - History    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Nationalism    8. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    9. Yugoslavia    10. Civil war    11. Eastern Europe    12. Ethnic studies    13. Political science & theory    14. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (1)

A diplomatic roller-coaster ride
I've read a lot of books on American diplomacy and this is one of the best.Norris tells the story of how the US engineered the end of the Kosovo war 7 years ago, bringing the Russians and Europeans along to end Slobodan Milosevic's violent repression.It's rare for a book on diplomacy to be a page-turner, but this is one.Written with crispness and flair, it brings the personalities and events of this drama to life, taking readers from tense meetings inside the Oval Office, to the bombing runs of NATO planes, to showdowns inside the Kremlin.From the perspective of today -- when many around the world are questioning America's role in world -- it offers many valuable lessons about the importance of American diplomacy and strong leadership.It is also about a foreign policy triumph.With the final status of Kosovo again in the news, this book is a vital resource for anyone who wants to understand the stakes there.But most important, it will be a fun read for anyone who is just interested in a compelling, well-told story. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Armed Forces    2. Bombing, Aerial    3. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. International Relations - General    7. Kosovo (Serbia)    8. Military    9. Military - General    10. Modern - 20th Century    11. North Atlantic Treaty Organiza    12. Operation Allied Force, 1999    13. Serbia    14. Serbia and Montenegro    15. Civil war    16. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    17. Political Science / International Relations    18. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (1)

A Unique Perspective on the Bosnian Conflict
The Black Book of Bosnia is not a reference book. Nor is it a summary of the events and actions that occured in the war. Rather, it is an interesting variety of social commentary put together in one place.Read more

Subjects:  1. Contemporary Politics - Eastern Europe    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Ethnic relations    4. International Relations - General    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Yugoslav War, 1991-    7. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    8. Yugoslavia    9. Bosnia-Herzegovina    10. Civil war    11. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    12. International relations   

Reviews (2)

Essential reading from ?Books on Bosnia?
This short review is from "Books on Bosnia" published by The Bosnian Institute. Powerful account of the nature of the war in Bosnia (especially central Bosnia) during 1992-3, by a leading correspondent. Of particularinterest for its coverage of the Croat-Muslim conflict, though it is lessreliable on the background to Yugoslavia's break-up and descent into war

Not the first book to read on Balkans but a MUST still.
I am surprised no one else has written on this book. I only say "don't let this be the first book you read on the Balkans" because it really seems to scare you, especially what the Serbians did.Thus, I wonder is it "anti-Serb?" I don't think so, I think itreflects the truth. Although, there are many passages I remember, that ofthe migration out of Bosnia and seeing body parts such as a hand sticks outin my mind, so does forcing innocent parties to walk through minefields. Ifthis is all true, this book seems to be the most damning in support of Natoinvolvement. I have read now, many books on the Balkans, this is a mustread. I am sorry I have not seen others comment on this. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bosnia and Hercegovina    2. Contemporary Politics - Eastern Europe    3. Eastern Europe - Yugoslavia    4. General    5. History: World    6. Military History - 1990-    7. Personal narratives    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Yugoslav War, 1991-    10. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    11. Vulliamy, Ed   

Reviews (1)

a part of my story...
As a Bosnian refugee from a mixed marriage I feltvery deeply the pain and the experiences told in this book. It is one of the very few that let you know how many former Yugoslavs feel and think about the loss of theircountry. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. Europe - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Refugees    7. Children    8. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    9. Other prose: from c 1900 -    10. Social impact of disasters    11. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (5)

reviving the stinging memories of Hungary 1956
For most presses, East European studies is a dying breed, consigned to the periphery by Europe's metamorphoses and other global challenges. However, Granville (history, Stanford Univ.) examines an event that retains stinging memories almost 50 years later--the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The author explored archives accessible only after the Cold War, and had extraordinary cooperation from archivists in Moscow, Budapest, and elsewhere. Kadar, Nagy, Rakosi, Tito, Khrushchev, Eisenhower, Dulles, and other personalities, as well as arcane communist and democratic bureaucracies, are revealed through countless archival fragments. Granville is at her best telling the interwoven story of 1956. Ultimately, Granville's analysis leads to a no-fault conclusion, suggesting that misperceptions and misconceptions among all actors led to the disastrous outcome. Recommended for graduate students and above.-- D.N. Nelson, University of New Haven

a grand example of erudite scholarship
This long-awaited review of archival records dealing with the Hungarian uprising of 1956 is destined to appear on numerous Cold War historians' bibliographies. It is a meticulously researched study, a grand example of erudite scholarship in its truest sense. Dr. Granville's examination of declassified documents is exhaustively and exhaustingly thorough.
A thorough scouring of the archives
Johanna Granville is one of the most industrious and talented of the scholars who have seized upon new archival opportunities to deepen our understanding of the Cold War. For _The First Domino_, the author has scoured archives in Europe and the United States in an effort to find out how the principal actors arrived at decisions regarding the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Matters, as she writes, were not as simple as they once appeared. Nikita Khrushchev and other Soviet leaders bad difficulty, for example, deciding whether or not to suppress the uprising by force. In fact, they voted not to intervene one day (October 28)before they ordered decisive military action (October 31). Some of what she has uncovered is already known: that Imre Nagy denounced some of his countrymen during his years in Soviet Russia (1930-44) and that he did not invite the initial Soviet invasion of October 23-24. But thanks to Granville's linguistic abilities, she has shed new light on the seemingly inexplicable conduct of Poland's Wladyslaw Gomulka and Yugoslavia's Josip Broz Tito. Moreover, she has helped to clarify Janos Kadar's decision to betray Nagy and the revolution. In a particularly compelling chapter, Granville examines the role the United States played before and during the revolution. She concludes that the Eisenhower Administration's talk of "rollback" and "liberation," when combined with U.S. intelligence operations and psychological warfare, may have led Soviet leaders to fear a U.S. intervention and, thus, to opt for a harder line. Above all, however, Granville reminds us of historical contingency. Those who have studied the revolution have sometimes taken the view that Hungarians and Soviets acted out of necessity. Granville herself thinks that given Hungarians' historic detestation of Russia and communism, revolution was bound to erupt; and Nagy's "trial and probably ... execution were inevitable." She should have written "were very likely," because elsewhere she observes that if the Soviets had removed Stalinist dictator Matyas Rakosi sooner, there might not have been a revolution; and that had there been no Polish crisis of October 19-20, Budapest's students might not have demonstrated on October 23. "No event," she wisely concludes, "is ever predestined; individuals can make rational choices to change the course of history at any given moment." ---Lee Congdon, Professor of History, James Madison University._History: Review of New Books_ (Summer 2004),v 32, i4: p 147.
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Subjects:  1. Soviet Union    2. Eastern Europe - General    3. Europe - Austria & Hungary    4. Foreign relations    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Hungary    9. International Relations - General    10. Poland    11. Political History    12. Revolution, 1956    13. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. International relations    15. Russia    16. USA    17. c 1945 to c 1960    18. United States    19. Yugoslavia   

Subjects:  1. Civics & Citizenship    2. Civil society    3. Democratization    4. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    5. Economic assistance, American    6. Former Yugoslav republics    7. History - General History    8. International Relations - Diplomacy    9. Political Ideologies - Democracy    10. Political Science    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Political structures: democracy    13. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (1)

dubious claims of external forces that triggered the Yugoslav wars
Yugoslavia is now broken into many parts. Yet the book suggests that this might not have been inevitable. Was it the artificiality of Tito's socialism that caused the breakup? Or was it the multiethnic nature of Yugoslavia? Or was it both? Few people outside the remaining rump of Yugoslavia might today argue for the previous Yugoslavia.The prevailing view seems to be that centuries old ethnic hatreds came to the forefront after 1990, impellingaviolent disintegration.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Multicultural Education    3. Political Science    4. Politics / Current Events    5. Politics/International Relations    6. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    7. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    8. Political Science / General    9. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Subjects:  1. Atrocities    2. Bosnia and Hercegovina    3. Comparative Religion    4. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    5. Ethnic Studies - General    6. General    7. History    8. History - General History    9. Military History - 1990-    10. Political    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Religion    13. Religion And Politics    14. Religious aspects    15. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    16. Civil war    17. Holy war    18. Religion & Theology | Sociology of Religion    19. Religion / Comparative Religion    20. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Subjects:  1. Civil War, 1998-1999    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Europe - Baltic States    4. History    5. International Relations - General    6. Intervention (International la    7. Intervention (International law)    8. Kosovo (Serbia)    9. Political Science    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics and government    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)    14. Political Science / International Relations    15. Political science & theory    16. Politics | International Studies | International Security & Strategic Studies    17. Serbia    18. United Nations & UN agencies    19. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (7)

Deserves ten stars
If you just look at the contributors and authors of this book you will know how good it is. Those who rate this work with one star are same people who do this with every other book that exposes anti-serb propaganda. It is now more than obvious that they are doing this proffesionaly, as a full time job.Neither they have read this book neither they really know what is inside the covers. Their only task is to downgrade any work that could open your eyes regarding ex-Yugo affairs. Do not listen to them and don't let them influence you- this book is a rare gem, and after you read it you will know why.

Left revisionism at its worst!
Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it!
Finally a book that shows the true face of the Wetsern Media
I have been waiting for such a book for a long time. First of all let me tell the reader of this review to ignore those morons that gave this book a low grade and call the author boring, reading "entertaining" and "short" history is what made the Kosovo war so appealing to the public in the first place. Read more

Subjects:  1. Current Affairs    2. General    3. History & Theory - General    4. International Relations - General    5. Media Studies    6. Political    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. International relations    10. NATO    11. Political Science / International Relations    12. Warfare & Defence    13. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia    14. c 1990 to c 2000   

Reviews (7)

Start with this book to understand the Yugoslavian conflict
This is my choice for the best introduction to the conflicts in what was Yugoslavian. When I was hosting an exchange student from the Balkans, I read 15 books in an effort to gain understanding. I was frustrated with blatantly one-sided books, and also books which had all the names, dates and horrors but did not help me understand. Hall's book was the best. While I will never truly understand the roots of the hatred, this thoughtful and amazingly non-partisan book opened windows for an uninvolved American into the psyches of that troubled region. I wish I had read it first.

Good intro to the Former Yugoslavia
This book is a very good introduction to most of the regions/republics which comprised Yugoslavia. The author is not a great writer or a fantastic historian, but he has created an extremely readable book which introduces the reader to many of the conflicts inherent in Yugoslavia and which caused its demise. The things I read in this book are supported by other works I have read (written after Hall's book) by scholars and Jugoslavian authors such as Slavenka Drakulic. I feel that this book better explains (to the casual reader) Jugoslavia's problems than does 'Balkan Ghosts' or other popular books I've read on the subject. I really enjoyed this book and think it is worth the purchase price for anyone interested in the current Balkan situation. Just about anyone can enjoy this book.

Middle Ground
I read Brian Hall's account of the Balkan conflict while in Zagreb on a language immersion program. I was incredibly impressed by his ability to give a balanced view on this incredibly difficult land. I felt his astuteobservations made it easier for me to remain neutral in my views andperceptions of the land, people and complicated situation.I wassurrounded by ultra-nationalists, and honestly did not meet a single personin Croatia that could look at their role objectively. Brian Hall's insightshelped me to step back and view the situation with a completely differentoutlook. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. Europe - Baltic States    3. Europe - Eastern    4. General    5. History    6. History: World    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Sociology    9. History / Baltic States   

Subjects:  1. History    2. World War, 1939-1945    3. Yugoslavia   

Subjects:  1. Criminal Law - General    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. History    4. International    5. International Tribunal for the    6. International criminal courts    7. Law    8. Legal Reference / Law Profession    9. Military    10. Yugoslav War Crime Trials, Hag    11. Yugoslav War Crime Trials, Hague, Netherlands, 1994-    12. International humanitarian law    13. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Editorial Review

The ethnic conflicts in the Yugoslavian province of Kosovo are often bewildering to readers without a grounding in the tangled history of the Balkans. Miranda Vickers, the leading English-language student of Albanian history, does much to clarify the situation with this thorough account of the tiny region, a fertile, mountain-ringed plateau whose Serbian name means something like "place of the blackbirds." That bucolic place name, however, does not speak to the violence that has been visited on the land for centuries.Read more

Reviews (20)

Nationalism
It is obvious that the opinion about this issue is split and that one side will feel one way, and the other side another way, however to say that this is a bad book just because it does not support one's point of view, that is not valid.I was born and raised in Albania, and I know the strong feeling of nationalism people are raised with in that part of the world.I realize that myths are not history, and I know the claims of the Serbs on Kosovo.Vickers looks at facts as they are, she may express some of her own preference in the book, but that does not make it not valid.
A most lucid synopsis on the history of Kosovo...
Miranda Vickers does an excellent job of distilling the available primary and secondary historical and geographical material on the former Yugoslavia into a lucid and compelling book. Unlike some writers, she footnotes hersources so the reader can form his or her own opinions based on furtherreading. The best introduction to the Kosovo problem.
I've been following and working on the Kosovo situation for over two years.I have read many books and articles on the Balkans and especially Kosovo.I first read Ms. Vickers book in the Fall of 1998.Her writing isclear and concise.She does not confuse the writer with uselessterminology that only academics dabble in to demonstrate how"intellectual" they are.Ms. Vickers book is, for the most part,impartial and represents discrepancies on both sides. All sides in Kosovohave myths about their past, this is something not uncommon to nations andpeople throughout the world.Ms. Vickers demonstrates how these myths haveled to Serbian Nationalism and to Albanian reactionarism and the effectsthese beliefs have had on Kosovo.So, in closing, if you want to gain anunderstanding into how the events in Kosovo developed, then read Ms.Vickers book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Albanians    2. Balkan Peninsula - History    3. Eastern Europe - General    4. Eastern Europe - Yugoslavia    5. Ethnic Studies - General    6. Ethnic relations    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Kosovo    11. Kosovo (Serbia)    12. Race And Ethnic Relations    13. Serbia    14. Eastern Europe    15. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    16. Multicultural studies   

Reviews (3)

Excellant Book for the study of military history.
This book is excellant for the study of military history. People seem to be angry that the book does not explain the brutality of the NDH. Well, the book was not written to explain this. There are plenty of books for that subject. To speak of being slanted, those books do not explain the Armies of the Balkans as anything more than "Nazi Drones". To speak from an intellectual standpoint, I wanted to learn about the uniforms, officers, and internal workings of the Axis forces in Yugoslavia. I find this a big coincidence that this is also the title of the book. .... The NDH was a horribile fascist regime. I'm not denying this.But some people joined to make an Independant State of Croatia. Just the same as not all Germans were Nazis. .... This book is about military units, and in that regard, it is superb with excellant drawing, photos, and diagrams. Lets drop the propaganda, and political agendas, and study historical facts.

Very one sided book
The book is one sided and does not describe the situation the way it really was.

Informative
An interesting primer that illustrates the military garb of those units which collaborated with the Nazi German, Fascist Italian, Fascist Hungarian, and Royalist Bulgarian occupiers ofWW 2 Yugoslavia.Thereare only a couple of drawbacks to this book. First, maybe because of theCroatian ethnicity of one of the authors and the illustrator, the absolutebrutality ofthe NDH (Independent State of Croatia) is not really madeclear to those new to the subject. Also, the portrayal of the RoyalistChetniks (ethnic Serbian and Montenegrin forces) as monolithic, and theinstances of their collaboration as other than adhoc and incidental,is notentirley accurate. The biggest evidence against such charges against theChetniks is the saving of over 400 Allied, mainly American, downedaircrewmen in the summer of 1944. Operation Halyard, as it was called,could not have been if the majority of Chetnik forces had not actively hidthe airmen from the Fascist forces. RichardFelman, one of those Americansrescued thanks to the Chetniks, wrote an autobiography on the subject andcampaigned for many years to have the complex history of the Chetniksaccepted in the History field. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Armies    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. History - Military / War    4. History: American    5. Military - General    6. Military History - World War II    7. Military Science    8. European history: Second World War    9. History / Military / World War II    10. Land forces & warfare    11. Second World War, 1939-1945    12. Uniforms & insignia    13. Weapons & equipment    14. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (6)

Typically abstruse "instant history"
This book's ultimate value for future historians, I predict, will be as a guide to source documents.Its analyses are already dated and rendered anachronistic by "facts" on the ground.
Important but Incomplete
The American View
There are 724 footnotes in this book, of which 720 seem to be for English-language sources, mostly American. And the trust in American sources is complete. For example: there's a section on the Racak massacre, with no mention that some French and German papers have cast doubts on the evidence, only a 200-word quote from American observer William Walker. For example: the famous appendix to the Rambouillet accord (granting NATO troops the right to bivouac and billet and make use of any facility anywhere in Yugoslavia) was just boilerplate that would have been deleted on request -- and the backup for this revelation is interviews with an American general and an American envoy. Why didn't they ask Yugoslavs too?Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. History & Theory - General    3. International Relations - General    4. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. NATO    9. Peacekeeping operations    10. United Nations & UN agencies    11. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (1)

A well-ordered summary of Balcanian break-up
The author has an objective glance to the disorderand causes of disorder occured in Yugoslavia.Hesuccessfully combines the causes to the uncomfor- table history of Yugoslavia.One thus can get idea of history of Yugoslavia either.Reading the book gives an idea of the total annihilation of many innocence in "old" Yugoslavia... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1980-1992    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Politics / Current Events    4. Politics and government    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Yugoslavia    7. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    8. Germany    9. Political structure & processes    10. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    11. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia    12. c 1980 to c 1990    13. c 1990 to c 2000