Serpent In The Bosom: The Rise And Fall Of Slobodan Milosevic - Hardcover

Cohen, Lenard J

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813329027 ISBN 13: 9780813329024

Publisher: Basic Books, 2000

Synopsis

The violent disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, and its aftermath, highlight the importance of a detailed understanding of the Balkan region. The political outlook and behavior of the Serbs and Serbian elites has been particularly bewildering to Western citizens and decision-makers. Serpent in the Bosom provides an analysis of Serbian politics from 1987 to 2000 that centers on an examination of Slobodan Milosevic's rise to power, his pattern of rule, the war in Kosovo, and the recent democratic “revolution” in Serbia. Lenard Cohen examines Milosevic's shrewd admixture of Serbian nationalism and socialism and his utilization of the media, and other agencies, as part of his "technology of rule." He also explores Milosevic's complex relationship with Serbia's intelligentsia, the Serbian Orthodox church, the police, and the army, as well as Serbian-Albanian relations, and the Belgrade regime's ongoing controversy with Montenegro's political leadership. What emerges is a clear understanding of Serbia's enigmatic leader, his influence on the Balkans, and the process of political transition in Yugoslavia.

About this title

About the Author

Lenard J. Cohen is Professor of Political Science at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada. He lives in Langley, British Columbia.

Reviews

Milosevic has been labeled a tyrant, a butcher and a war criminal responsible for the last 10 years of mayhem in the Balkans. Though he's been much scrutinized, no account has gone this far in contextualizing Milosevic's capriciousness and his troubled past in such a vital history and culture. Cohen, whose Broken Bonds examined Yugoslavia's Cold War-era political sovereignty and its demise after Tito's death, zooms in on a man whose choices were far more calculated than his often cowardly performance would suggest. Cohen tactfully and objectively discusses Milosevic's rise to authoritarian power, finding the origins of his "unbridled political ambition and brilliant political opportunism" in his youth, especially his law school days. Cohen also credibly explains how Milosevic's wife, Mirjana, silently pulled the strings and influenced key decisions. Relating Milosevic's extremist ideology to Serbia's turbulent history, Cohen stresses the crucial role that Kosovo has played in shaping the "serpent in the bosom" Milosevic's metaphor for the glum faith of Serbian nationalism. Cohen does not discuss Serbia's privileged position during Tito's 45-year reign, instead focusing on that reign's negative outcomes, and he skims over Milosevic's ill-conceived goals to conquer territories of Croatia and Bosnia. But those familiar with Milosevic's conduct during the five years of bloodshed in Bosnia will not find this a weak spot, as Cohen's exhaustive portrait offers numerous intriguing insights and is sure to incite debate. Not for the neophyte, Cohen's challenging, accessible analysis will find its most appreciative audience in academia. (Feb. 23) Forecast: More exacting than Dusko Doder and Louise Branson's well-received Milosevic: Portrait of a Tyrant as yet the only other Balkan study with Milosevic as centerpiece Cohen's book will be snatched up by historians and political scientists.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Cohen's book argues persuasively that Milosevic was a political opportunist who exploited Yugoslavia's failing Communist system and the deterioration of interethnic relations (mainly Serb-Albanian) while engaging in some skillful political maneuvering to stay in power for more than 13 years. Many have argued that the problems of the Serbian society during the past decade were just a case of a good nation gone bad in other words, that the cause of the Balkan tragedy lay primarily in Serbian and Yugoslav political, historical, and socioeconomic circumstances. Cohen shows, however, that without the existence of an adequate "political culture" susceptible to the appeals of chauvinistic nationalism as Serbian culture has evolved to be Milosevic would not have been able to hold on to power so long. Cohen's (political science, Simon Fraser Univ., BC) impressive understanding of Balkan politics is matched by his superb analysis of Milosevic's ascendance. Almost biographical at times, this comprehensive work clarifies Milosevic's overwhelming influence over recent Balkan events and also explains its ultimate demise. Natasa Musa, New York
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Cohen, a Simon Fraser University political science professor, wrote Broken Bonds (1993), one of the more thorough analyses of the internal struggles in post-Tito Yugoslavia that precipitated its division into multiple nations. Here, he traces the career of Slobodan Milosevic and Kosovo's symbolic importance in the Serbian nationalism on which Milosevic built his power. Cohen provides details on the historical relationship between the Serbian Republic and its sometimes-autonomous provinces, Kosovo and Vojvodina, movements and tendencies within Serbian nationalism, the "methodology and mechanisms of control" Milosevic employed, and the fragmented movements which developed in opposition to Milosevic. Cohen follows the story to the September 2000 presidential election and the October demonstrations that forced Milosevic to step down in favor of Vojislav Kostunica. He also outlines some of the problems Kostunica will face in attempting to achieve reconciliation within Serbia, with Serbia's regional neighbors, and with the international community. Well-written but a demanding read; appropriate for those who seek a comprehensive understanding of recent Serbian history. Mary Carroll
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Edition details

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813329027
• ISBN 13: 9780813329024
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 496