KOSOVO: CONTENDING VOICES ON BALKAN INTERVENTIONS

Powerful commentary on the most volatile international event of the year--the conflict in Kosovo.

This is the first book in any language to bring together--in powerful point-counterpoint format--political, ethical, and cultural commentary on the Kosovo conflict by internationally renowned contributors. Also woven into the book are moving firsthand stories of the suffering Balkan people.

Composed of some sixty essays written in dialog with one another, the book contains assessments by noted politicians and analysts (Henry Kissinger, Juergen Haberman, Zbigniew Brzezinski), government officials (Javier Solana, Kofi Annan, Vaclav Havel, Morton Halperin), award-winning journalists (Mark Danner, Tim Judah, Robert Kaplan), human rights advocates (Julie Mertus), theologians and ethicists (Jean Bethke Elshtain, Brian Hehir, David Little, Vatican Archbishop Tauran, Stanley Harakas), historians (Miranda Vickers), military leaders (General Wesley Clark), and many other key figures.

This book also includes photos, maps, a time line, a list of key names, NATO objectives, and online resources for further study of this critical regional conflict with worldwide implications.

A wonderfully diverse collection of essays, memoirs, letters, and interviews that comprises a robust spectrum of views on the Kosovo conflict and the NATO air campaign.Buckley (Ethics/Georgetown Univ.) has brought together contributions from many of the major stars of the international community--UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Vaclav Havel, and Henry Kissinger, to name a few. What makes his collection even more impressive, however, are the pieces from unknown local figures--the Serbian citizens, the Kosovar victims of Serb aggression, and European journalists--who serve to question the realities and perceived realities of the outside observers on both sides of the Atlantic. Ivanka Besevic, an elderly Serbian woman living in Belgrade writes on the NATO bombing: We are here, and we see it with our own eyes; every civilian target, our neighbors' homes. The compilation takes the reader on a tour of the complicated truth behind such simple questions as who exactly the KLA are--without providing any one answer to the perennial question that should trouble Americans most: Was the NATO bombing the right thing to do? If anything, these inquiries highlight just how problematic military intervention is. Was it necessary? The account we are offered of Serb atrocities says the answer is yes. Was it just? Accounts from the Serb perspective, in addition to rigorous political analyses from Kissinger and others tell us perhaps not. Can the peacekeeping operations be called a success? According to Buckley, that remains to be seen. His collection, although it is about as comprehensive as one volume can be, rings with the urgent message that this can be merely the beginning of reflection, analysis, and dialogue on the subject--not the end. Intellectually challenging but very readable, this examination of the most troubling European turmoil of the last decade is highly recommended for both personal use and professional reference -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

This collection of 66 essays arranged in dialog with one another reinforces the impression that there are neither simple stories about Kosovo nor simple solutions to the conflict there. The latest episode involving the NATO intervention might just be the most complex. Editor Buckley successfully and objectively tackles his subject. His book does not take sides but simply presents the spectrum of views from all of the parties involved: noted historians such as Miranda Vickers, human rights advocates, theologians, journalists, and important political analysts such as Henry Kissinger. In an interesting point-counterpoint format, the book includes essays from important Balkan figures, ranging from distinguished writers such as Ismail Kadare and Dobrica Cosic to renowned scholars and journalists--even an interview with the villain of the never-ending Balkan saga, Slobodan Milosevic. A valuable book for both researchers and anyone interested in the Balkan history.
-Natasa Musa, New York
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.