An account of how Kosovo became the crucible of one of the 20th-century's most poisonous ethnic conflicts. Written by a seasoned journalist who witnessed the Balkan conflagration and its aftermath, it presents an analysis of the origins of the Serb-Albanian conflict, the course of the battle, the issues and personalities, and options for the future. In this second edition Tim Judah updates the story to, and beyond, the fall of Milosevic.
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Tim Judah lived in Belgrade from 1990-1995, reporting for the London Times and the New York Review of Books. When the "ethnic cleansing" started in Kosovo, he was there. So his Kosovo: War and Revenge is well placed to offer some insights, variously scathing and compassionate, on the whole sorry mess. It doesn't matter how many Serbian tanks you (allegedly) knock out with your high-tech bombing raids "since the most potent weapon in ethnic cleansing is the cigarette-lighter needed to set houses on fire". Judah can evoke the madness of Kosovo in a single, startling set piece: vengeful Albanians rampaging through a Serbian Orthodox priest's house; smashing icons; stealing candles; French soldiers from KFOR "looking on amiably"; a nearby Gypsy house also on fire; and a passing French commander explaining to an open-mouthed Judah that the official NATO policy at this moment is "to let them pillage". Paraphrasing a Belgrade journalist, he notes sadly that Serbia has still not found its Adenauer, nor Kosovo its Mandela, which is what both so desperately need. The introductory chapter summarising Kosovo's tortured and tortuous history, is better rendered in Noel Malcolm's Kosovo: A Short History, and, for a wider overview of the Balkans themselves, one would certainly prefer Misha Glenny's The Balkans, 1804-1899. But for an acerbic and perceptive personal account, Judah's book is hard to beat. --Christopher Hart
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"A serious history book written with the pace of a thriller: action flits between Swiss cafes and the very lairs of the warlords themselves." -- Nicholas Foulkes, Financial Times
"A superb political narrative of the fight for Kosovo." -- Fouad Ajami, New York Times Book Review
"Judah provides the most comprehensive English-language account yet of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s transformation from a band of outcasts to the most powerful political force in Kosovo." -- Michael Dobbs, Washington Post Book World
"A superb political narrative of the fight for Kosovo." -- Fouad Ajami, New York Times Book Review
"Judah provides the most comprehensive English-language account yet of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s transformation from a band of outcasts to the most powerful political force in Kosovo." -- Michael Dobbs, Washington Post Book World
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For centuries, Serbian history, myth and tradition was passed down from generation to generation through the singing of epic poetry. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
For centuries, Serbian history, myth and tradition was passed down from generation to generation through the singing of epic poetry. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By RM
Format:Paperback
Tim Judah has clearly attempted to write a non-biased book about the complex Kosovo conflict and he has succeeded to a large degree. He tries not to fall into the trap of demonising the Serbs as an ethnic group, which has occurred to many other historians and journalists, unfortunately.
However, there are still issues I would raise. For the recent conflict (1999) he describes the aggressive Albanian ethnic cleansing of minority populations after the arrival of KFOR as "revenge", implying that it was understandable. He also quotes the already discredited figure of 11,000 Albanian civilians killed, when in actual fact, KFOR up until now have found around 4,000 corpses, which include Serbs as well as Albanians and also soldiers, not just civilians.
He also seems to have been in favour of NATO bombing and describes the bombing of civilian targets as all being "accidents", which is impossible to believe, since more civilian targets were hit than military. However, compared to most books on Kosovo, it is well-written and more balanced than most.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Judah's Kosovo does not pretend to be more than a journalistic narrative of the conflict in southern Jugoslavia over the last two decades, and a brief review of some of the key features of its history. There could not, therefore, be justice in criticising it for a failure to be something deeper but the extravagant words of some reviewers might lead prospective readers to expect such. As an example of its genre, it can properly be said that the work is better than good - it is well worth the time and its supple style makes for a comparatively effortless read. How much more distressing then that this particular volume has more editing errors within its three and a half hundred pages than all the other Balkan titles with which it shares a long shelf in my bookcase together!
By A. Bogdanov
Format:Paperback
While Tim Judah tried to write unbiased book about recent events in Kosovo I would disagree that he succeeded. There's clearly one sided approach to the problem and Serbs made the main villain. The book is very correct from the point of factual description, but some facts are given as 2-3 pages description, while others are just about mentioned.
The international involvement in the conflict once again correctly placated, but I had a niggling feeling, that somehow the correctness is shallow and there was missing something - in depth analysis.
To summarize - 3 for the effort.
The international involvement in the conflict once again correctly placated, but I had a niggling feeling, that somehow the correctness is shallow and there was missing something - in depth analysis.
To summarize - 3 for the effort.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Overview.
Tim Judah's overview is the best published so far. For an insider view, the view of the persecuted, readers should try Shadow Behind the Sun: Flight from Kosovo: A Woman's Story... Read more
Published on 11 May 2009 by Deep Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Jejune West
Tim Judah is no scholar. This is not a work of great erudition. But, as an eyewitness account, it ranks close to Rebecca West's classic. Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2001
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