Balkan Tragedy

Books about the breakup of Yugoslavia and the genocidal war against the Moslem Slays of Bosnia have become a minor industry. As expected, journalists are at the forefront and social scientists and historians lag far behind. More often than not, the academics have issued updated versions of studies that were carried out some years ago and can only be made relevant to the current situation with considerable strain. The journalists’ books have been produced in a hurry, and it shows.

What is astonishing is how little useful material was written by social and political scientists in the years immediately preceding the catastrophe. Yugoslavia was easily the most accessible of all the countries in Eastern Europe. It was open both t...