The Collapse of Yugoslavia 1991-1999 (Essential Histories) [Paperback]

Alastair Finlan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Essential Histories | Publication Date: November 11, 2004

In 1991, an ethnically diverse region that had enjoyed decades of peaceful coexistence descended into bitter hatred and chaos, almost overnight. Communities fractured along lines of ethnic and religious affiliation and the ensuing fighting was deeply personal, resulting in brutality, rape and torture, and ultimately the deaths of thousands of people. This book examines the internal upheavals of the former Yugoslavia and their international implications, including the failure of the Vance-Owen plan; the first use of NATO in a combat role and in peace enforcement; and the war in Kosovo, unsanctioned by the UN but prosecuted by NATO forces to prevent the ethnic cleansing of the region.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This unique series studies every major war in history looking at all the aspects of war, from how it felt to be a soldier to the lasting impact of the conflict on the world around it.

About the Author

Dr Alastair Finlan teaches in the History Department at the American University in Cairo. Prior to this, he was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Strategic Studies and International Affairs at Britannia Royal Naval College, where he is still Associate Senior Lecturer. He has also lectured at the Universities of Keele and Plymouth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841768057
• ISBN-13: 978-1841768052
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #518,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > History > Europe > Yugoslavia

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Customer Reviews

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good summary, May 2, 2009

By 

Jorge Reyes (Quebec, QC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Collapse of Yugoslavia 1991-1999 (Essential Histories) (Paperback)

This book is an introduction to the Yugoslavian wars. With just about a hundred pages in length, it presents a very succint picture of events that spanned over a decade (the nineties).

(A more ellaborate study of the Yugoslavia war is "Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation" written by BBC journalists and also sold by amazon.com)

I am not familiar with these series (Essential Histories) but it appears as though this is what they are intended to be, very succint works, just a roadmap to help the reader gather further knowledge elsewhere (but don't expect to find a big Bibliography here).

So, here's what I consider the strenghts of this book:

* its fine illustrations
* its elegant presentation (printed on very nice, 'shiny' paper)
* I also liked the way they present the 'participants' of the conflict (page 19). This is an interesting approach that I don't remember to have seen elsewhere, as they cite over 14 involved parties: other than Serbian, Croatians and Bosnians, there was the 'international community', international and military organisations that directly or indirectly had a saying in the outcome of the war.

Again, this presentation of the warring sides is interesting, and reminds me also of management theories about the numerous 'publics' or 'clients' that a corporation has to deal with on a daily basis (also known as 'interested parties' that are affected in some or another way by the business of a corporation, and which explains, in part, the profession of public relations).

To summarise, I recommend this book as a quick reference guide for the Yugoslavian wars, a roadmap for the beginner. (Yet I still consider 'Death of a nation' a much better introduction to the subject).