Broken Bonds: Yugoslavia's Disintegration And Balkan Politics In Transition, Second Edition - Softcover

Cohen, Lenard J

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0813324777 ISBN 13: 9780813324777

Publisher: Westview Press, 1995

Synopsis

Struggling against high odds, Yugoslavia managed to survive from its inception in 1918 until the early 1990s. But now, tragic ethnic and regional conflicts have irrevocably fragmented the country. In his timely book, Lenard Cohen explores the original conception and motives underlying the ?Yugoslav idea,? looking at the state's major problems, achievements, and failures during its short and troubled history.Cohen answers a broad range of questions concerning contemporary Yugoslavia: How did the state plunge from its position as a positive model to an essentially negative case of socialist reform? What measures for recovery were proposed by the country's ethnically and regionally segmented one-party elite? What were the reasons for the eventual abandonment of reform socialism, the elimination of the single party's monopoly, and the rapid delegitimation of the country's federal political institutions? What programs have been offered by the noncommunist and ?born again? communist leaders elected to power during the revival of multiparty pluralism in 1990? How did their efforts to achieve regional and ethnic sovereignty place the country in such a precarious and ultimately fatal position?The concluding chapters of the book offer an analysis of the causes and horrifying consequences of the military conflict and civil war from 1991 to 1994, including a discussion of the impotent efforts at peacekeeping, the dynamics of the complex and savage struggle in Bosnia-Hercegovina, and an examination of the problems faced by Yugoslavia's successor states.

About this title

About the Author:

Lenard J Cohen

From Publishers Weekly:

Though somewhat academic, this detailed, careful analysis should be useful to serious students of the area. Cohen ( Political Cohesion in A Fragile Mosaic: The Yugoslav Experience ) begins in the 19th century, tracing Yugoslav nationalism before a state was formed. He describes the "ambiguous legacy" of Tito's communist nationalism, then subtly analyzes the debate over post-Tito reform strategies. Drawing on many Yugoslav sources, especially opinion polls, he shows the growth of ethnic nationalism in the 1990s. Unilateral independence decisions by Slovenia and Croatia in 1991, aided by recognition from Europe, fueled the country's dissolution; Western nations, mistakenly believing it would defuse tension, recognized Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992. Though Cohen cites the long history of ethnic animosity and the failures of communism as factors contributing to violence, his study emphasizes how political leaders have repeatedly failed to reach compromises. Pessimistic about future inter-ethnic tolerance, as well as international influence on peace, Cohen suggests that the new states from the former Yugoslavia must produce more enlightened leaders. Photos not seen by PW. History Book Club alternate.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Westview Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0813324777
• ISBN 13: 9780813324777
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 444