Diary of an Uncivil War: The Violent Aftermath of the Kosovo Conflict (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Queuing up at 6:00 a.m., I was lucky to get a ticket on the last Belgrade-bound bus..." (more)
Key Phrases: Slobodan Milosevic, Ottawa Citizen, Zoran Djindjic (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The June 1999 enty of NATO troops was hailed as the "Liberation of Kosovo" by the Western media -- most of whom promptly packed up and headed home from the Balkans.

The declaration of victory was naive and premature given the Alliance's stated objectives of deposing Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and creating a safe, multi-ethnic environment in Kosovo.

Rather than ending the civil strife, NATO's intervention set in motion a series of events which would have violent repercussions throughout Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia over the next two years. This book, consisting primarily of Scott Taylor's first-hand observations and interviews with the people and players, is a very personal account of war and its aftermath in Serbia and Macedonia.

About the Author

Scott Taylor, a former soldier, is the editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps, an Ottawa-based magazine celebrated for its unflinching scrutiny of the Canadian military. Research for this book was compiled first-hand from inside Yugoslavia and Macedonia following NATO's occupation of Kosovo. Taylor appears regularly in the Canadian media as a military analyst, and is the recipient of the 1996 Quill Award for outstanding work in the field of Canadian communications. That same year, he won the Alexander MacKenzie Award for journalistic excellence. A columnist for the Halifax Herald and the host of "Situation Report", Scott Taylor is also the author of "Tarnished Brass", "Tested Mettle" and "Inat: Images of Serbia and the Kosovo Conflict".

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Esprit de Corps Books (February 22, 2002)
• ISBN-10: 1895896207
• ISBN-13: 978-1895896206
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,526,478 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What price the truth, April 30, 2002

By	Ian J. Davis (Waterloo, Ontario) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Scott Taylor is a respected Canadian journalist, and a former soldier. He is editor and publisher of "Esprit de Corps". He has a special interest in the Balkans, and has written several previous books detailing his involvement and the involvement of Canadian forces there.

Scott write objectively, and factually. His books are both interesting and very easy to read. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy and honesty of this author. He is clearly biased in his own personal opinions, being a strong supporter of Serbs, Macedonians, etc. and openly critical if not hostile towards the actions and objectives of the UCK (KLA).

Scott is somewhat uniquely placed to report on events from both sides, being trusted by the one side because of his earlier writings, and by the other because of his Canadian nationality, which automatically leads the UCK to presume that he supports their cause.

This book is largely concerned with the incursion of the UCK into Macedonia, and the conflict that ensued, and continues to this day. It documents in detail the complexity the Macedonian government faced in responding to acts of terrorism on their own soil, while seeking to avoid at all costs offending NATO for fear of suffering Serbia's fate. It documents the extensive support, weaponry, and military assistance given to the UCK by the US, and the degree to which this support and encouragement hampered the Macedonians government's ability to respond effectively to a terrorist insurrection/armed invasion from Kosovo.

For those interested in the Balkans, terrorism, politics, or the involvement of the US in the conflict in Macedonia, as well as for those merely wishing to get a more balanced overall picture of the complexity of the various conflicts in the Balkans this book is well worth reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good post war report, August 2, 2008

By	Ciprian E. Ivanof (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With the erratic coverage provided by the large media organizations, independent reporters provide a vital means of gaining information. While the account is not a statistical analysis or academic study, the book is a good primary source concerning the ability of reporters to cover the situation and should warn any researcher of the difficulties of using mainstream journalists for their sources.

Military experience has given him the daring needed to get to the story and the analytical skills (usually cynicism) needed to find the actual activity. It also becomes invaluable in determining when the various parties are trying to sway you with fraudulent claims.

Sadly, the academic writing on the Macedonian crisis (still ongoing) suffers from excessive credibility of UCK (supposedly the NLA in Macedonia) claims. This book provides a good but insufficient corrective for it. This is a book on covering a story, not a detailed academic work but there is still considerable value to it.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A vital and eye-opening view into the Macedonian war, March 4, 2004

By A Customer

Although Macedonia's 2001 mini-war attracted great attention from the international media, real independent reporting was rare. Most the Western journalists were informed by other Western officials, spent a disproportionate amount of time at Skopje's luxurious Alexandar Palace Hotel, or mysteriously turned up in various rebel-held villages. Before the war even began, in fact, British reporters were filing stories from border villages where uniformed Albanians were gathering- at a time when they allegedly had no uniforms or clear leadership.

And then there was Scott Taylor. Ever dropping in unannounced, deadpanning his way through security checkpoints, hotel lobbies, armed insurrectionists and officials who don't speak English, Taylor draws on his military background and fearlessness to get a good view of some of the most interesting places of the war- most of them otherwise unreported.

...Diary of an Uncivil War is thus not only a good read- brisk, straight-up and comic in places- but also a real contribution to the primary source material on the Macedonian War, and as such it will become only more valuable with the passage of time for historians interested in researching the events of 2001. For those interested in the subject of Islamic terrorism in the Balkans, Taylor also provides an extremely detailed epilogue of sorts, chronicling terrorist presences in Macedonia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania.

The remainder of this review, as well as interviews with the author, Scott Taylor can be found here: www.balkanalysis.com