Europe and War in the Balkans - by Miron Rezun (Hardcover)

About the Book

One of the salient features of this study is the extent of German complicity in the unfolding events that destroyed Yugoslavia. Rezun emphasizes the roles of history, psychology, culture, religion, and pure economics that are at play here. The book focuses on the Serb-Croat conflict and how that conflict permeates the other regions. Rezun demonstrates that the story of this civil war has been grossly misreported by the popular media and that the crisis in Yugoslavia could be a prelude to the eventual destruction of the Balkans and the entire European order.

Book Synopsis

One of the salient features of this study is the extent of German complicity in the unfolding events that destroyed Yugoslavia. Rezun emphasizes the roles of history, psychology, culture, religion, and pure economics that are at play here. The book focuses on the Serb-Croat conflict and how that conflict permeates the other regions. Rezun demonstrates that the story of this civil war has been grossly misreported by the popular media and that the crisis in Yugoslavia could be a prelude to the eventual destruction of the Balkans and the entire European order.

Review Quotes

"Rezun has written a sophisticated book about the breakup of Yugoslavia and subsequent civil war. The value of the book is enhanced by his attention, in the course of three chapters, to the legacies of the past: covering pre-history to 1941, the legacy of World War Two, and the Impact of Tito. The book will be especially useful to newcomers to the study of Yugoslavia, because of the comprehensive survey undertaken here."-Sabrina Petra Ramet Professor, HMJ School of International Studies University of Washington

"The horror of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia has led to desperate searches for a solution in the West. Sadly, though, good intentions cannot compensate for an inadequate understanding of the causes and context of the conflict. Miron Rezun provides important and challenging insights into this Balkan tragedy that should be most useful to scholars and policy makers alike."-Aurel Braun Professor of International Relations and Political Science University of Toronto

.,." a historical review that begins with the historical legacy and continues through WW II."-Choice

.,."Rezun's objectivity comes out most clearly in the fundamental approach he takes to the subject: the presentation of a mostly straightfoward history of the region from ancient to modern times...Rezun nicely lays out the contridictions of modern Europe...there are good discussions of familiar topics like television instant news on foreign nations and the dilemma of how or whether foriegners might intervene in Bosnia...He then presents a fascinating analysis of the smear campaign waged by some elements in the Bosnian government against General Lewis MacKenzie...as an example of deliberate political misinformation....Rezun's book can be recommended as a useful historical survey and reference work of a difficult subject."-B.H. Barlow

?... a historical review that begins with the historical legacy and continues through WW II.?-Choice

?...Rezun's objectivity comes out most clearly in the fundamental approach he takes to the subject: the presentation of a mostly straightfoward history of the region from ancient to modern times...Rezun nicely lays out the contridictions of modern Europe...there are good discussions of familiar topics like television instant news on foreign nations and the dilemma of how or whether foriegners might intervene in Bosnia...He then presents a fascinating analysis of the smear campaign waged by some elements in the Bosnian government against General Lewis MacKenzie...as an example of deliberate political misinformation....Rezun's book can be recommended as a useful historical survey and reference work of a difficult subject.?-B.H. Barlow

..." a historical review that begins with the historical legacy and continues through WW II."-Choice

..."Rezun's objectivity comes out most clearly in the fundamental approach he takes to the subject: the presentation of a mostly straightfoward history of the region from ancient to modern times...Rezun nicely lays out the contridictions of modern Europe...there are good discussions of familiar topics like television instant news on foreign nations and the dilemma of how or whether foriegners might intervene in Bosnia...He then presents a fascinating analysis of the smear campaign waged by some elements in the Bosnian government against General Lewis MacKenzie...as an example of deliberate political misinformation....Rezun's book can be recommended as a useful historical survey and reference work of a difficult subject."-B.H. Barlow

About the Author

MIRON REZUN is Professor of Political Science at the University of New Brunswick in Canada. His latest works include Nationalism and the Breakup of Empire: Russia and Its Periphery (Praeger, 1992), Saddam Hussein's Gulf Wars: Ambivalent Stakes in the Middle East (Praeger, 1992), and Intrigue and War in Southwest Asia: The Struggle for Supremacy from Central Asia to Iraq (Praeger, 1991).