The Balkans 1804-2012

In a timely, passionate survey of Balkan history since the early 29th century Glenny provides essential background to recent events in this war-torn area. No other book covers the entire region & offers such profound insights into the roots of Balkan violence, or explains so vividly the origins of modern Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania & Albania. Many readers will welcome the author's insights into the final century of Ottoman rule, a complex & colorful period affecting today's conflicts. If you ever wondered why Lord Byron died in a remote place called Missolonghi, or exactly what a Young Turk is, or why bullett fired by a Serbian nationalist in the provincial backwater Sarajevo started WWI--it's all here: from the 1st Serbian uprising in 1804 to the latest Serbian shenanigans in Kosovo earlier this year. Glenny's account of each national group in the Balkans & its struggle for statehood is lucid & fair-minded. He brings the culture of different nationalisms to life. The narrative is studded with sharply observed set pieces & portraits of kings, guerillas, bandits, generals & politicians. He interweaves a narrative of key events with the story of international affairs--the relations between states in the Balkans, & between them & the great powers. It's the latter relationship that lies at the heart of this compulsively-readable book. Glenny shows how great-power influence in the region has been catastrophic for the people of the Balkans, & how so-called "ancient hatreds" & "tribal rivalries" have often been intensified by ignorant diplomats in far-away capitals, creating states, allocating populations & redrawing borders with deadly results. It remains to be seen, Glenny argues in a terse epilogue, whether the most recent western intervention will have a more benign outcome.