The violent disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1991-92 brought about the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, atrocities on massive scale, and a new term, "ethnic cleansing", for the tactics of nationalist civil war. The failure of Western action to prevent the spread of violence or to negotiate peace disheartened Europeans in their drive to greater unity and turned the euphoria about the "new world order" into cynicism about US leadership. On their own, and as a warning of similar conflicts yet to come, the Yugoslav wars present the first major challenge to US foreign policy after the Cold War. Why did the Yugoslav state break up? And why did the break-up lead to war? In this book, Susan Woodward analyzes the causes of the Yugoslav wars and argues that focusing on ancient ethnic hatreds and military aggression misunderstands nationalism in post-communist states.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gutsy scholarly challenge to the conventional wisdom.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and Dissolution after the Cold War (Paperback)
Woodward, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, argues provocatively, but convincingly, that the breakup of Yugoslavia and the resulting ethnic conflict was _not_ inevitable and could have been avoided if the West had given more support to leaders within Yugoslavia (e.g. Ante Markovic) who wanted to promote democracy as well as free-market economic policies. She directly challenges the conventional wisdom articulated by the more readable and widely read "Balkan Ghosts" that history and culture made conflict in Yugoslavia inevitable. The complex and lengthy text of Woodward's book may deter some, but the highly nuanced arguments will prove fertile ground for those who want to better understand the causes of ethnic conflict both in Yugoslavia and more generally
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of good information, poorly presented.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and Dissolution after the Cold War (Paperback)
I read this book at the recommendation of a Yugoslav friend who says he agrees with 95% of what the author says, as opposed to agreeing with only about 5% of most other books on the subject. I'm glad I read the book-- she gives you loads of good data-- but she has a lousy writing style and manages to make a fascinating subject pretty dull. You have to be really determined to learn about Yugoslavia, or you won't make it through the book. Also, don't try it unless you already have a good basic grasp of the area's history and the general outline of events in past ten years or so.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A medicinal pill for the effortlessly righteous,
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This review is from: Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and Dissolution after the Cold War (Paperback)
The book sometimes hides its thesis behind detail, and is not easy to follow. It was finished for the press before the Croat offensive of Spring 1995, and loses some perspective in consequence. Hence only four stars! It is very thoroughly researched (not just full of footnotes), and it is one of the very few books on the Bosnian war which doesn't simply pick heroes and villains - which has, of course, led to it being denounced as pro-Serb. Woodward's main line is that the basis of conflict was 'the economy, stupid'. Successive blunders in the terms of IMF loans, and misjudged changes in the federal constitution, set the constituent republics against each other. Misunderstanding of the issues (and German/Austrian favouritism to Balkan clients) led the European powers into grossly unprincipled and utopian interventions. The federation was levered apart, while preserving intact the constituent republics. This was a 'solution' to the wrong set of problems. The United States, continually encouraging the Bosnian Muslims to wait for the NATO fairy to rescue them (it didn't), completed the sorry work of war-making - though this last element is better documented elsewhere (e.g. in Rose's _Fighting for Peace_). I don't agree with all of the author's opinions. In particular, I think national allegiances run deeper and history is more relevant than she wants to believe. But it is a serious attempt to rescue this piece of contemporary history from self-indulgent moral one-upmanship and propaganda saturation. If only Woodward could write as well as Ivo Banac!
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