Macedonia [Hardcover]

John Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2002

A bloody rebellion by Albanian guerrillas demanding equal rights in Macedonia has killed and wounded thousands of people and led to fears that the crisis will embroil Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria and Greece. International intervention brought an uneasy halt to the blood-letting last summer, but hardline Macedonian nationalists have blocked full implementation of the peace agreement and there are now fears that the National Liberation Army will renew its campaign, leading to more ethnic cleansing in the heart of Europe. Phillips covers the front line fighting as well as the behind-the-scenes diplomacy in Skopje and shows just how damaging the present conflict is for any hope of a lasting Balkan peace.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Times Literary Supplement: "useful and perceptive" "very much needed" "Phillips is a sure guide through the tangled web of Albanian politics." Balkan Academic News: "provides a fine example of war and peace journalism... a timely contribution to the debates about the future of South Eastern Europe... deserves a broad readership especially among ("Western") scholars, students and people who do not mind getting a dose of reality." Washington Times: "worth heeding" "The author takes no sides" The Tablet: "a subject of particular complexity...in his deft unravelling of this Balkan drama John Phillips has kept a remarkable and important objectivity." Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans: "...a useful and original contribution to the existing body of literature on Macedonia." 'This is a balanced and well-written account that tells a chilling story of war, compromise and survival. It deserves to be read by anyone interested in modern Balkan politics.' - Anglo-Hellenic Review

From the Inside Flap

"This is a cogent, judicious, layman-friendly journalistic report on an important, woefully under-covered conflict. Phillips does well in capturing the complexity--political, moral, communal--of the various sides; it doesn’t oversimplify either the villainy of the villains or the virtues of the good guys."--Strobe Talbott, Brookings Institution

"This book is singularly free from bias, which is a great and rare blessing in works on the Balkans--the tendency to root for one side or other being the bane of far too many books on the region’s recent conflicts."--Marcus Tanner, former Balkans correspondent for The Independent

"John Phillips elucidates very clearly and objectively the complexities of the Macedonian war, with some fine eyewitness accounts of the chaos that overtook the landlocked southern Balkan republic. His book will be required reading for all diplomats, peacekeepers and future students of the conflict. Many laurel boughs."--James Pettifer, author of The New Macedonian Question --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: I B Tauris Academic; 1St Edition edition (December 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 186064841X
• ISBN-13: 978-1860648410
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,329,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sorting it all out, August 1, 2005

By 

J. Howard (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macedonia: Warlords and Rebels in the Balkans (Hardcover)

Macedonia has a long, complex and contested history, but it seems that, paradoxically, "current events" are the most pertinent. Macedonia probably appeared above the horizon for the average citizen outside of the Balkans in the 1990s, and then it was probably tempting to just put the country in the same category as Bosnia. Phillips, in his thorough profile of the country, distinguishes Macedonia's recent development as an independent country from the history of its neighbors, and he does an excellent job of relating local, Macedonian issues to larger, Balkan and European problems. The book is readable and very informative, and visitors to the area will find it very valuable.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review, July 9, 2005

By 

Thomas W. Blakey "Master Sergeant, US Army (r... (Severn, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Macedonia: Warlords and Rebels in the Balkans (Hardcover)

A good, medium level overview of the situation in an area which has not recently been in the news. Worth buying.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good work, December 19, 2005

By 

R. Kel. "power of reading" (Denmark) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Macedonia: Warlords and Rebels in the Balkans (Hardcover)

The book is unbiased piece of history from the last conflict on Balkan. Very good insight in the history of Macedonians and Albanians. Powerfull description of the events before and during the conflict. There is not many books on this subject and that will increase the historical value of this book.