Cigar shows how Greater Serbian nationalism became the dominant ideology of the political and intellectual elites in Serbia during the 1980s. The Serbian Church, Milan Panic, Vuk Draskovic and others portrayed as liberals in the west do not escape responsibility.
They were frequently the most vociferous Serb chau. vinists. However. it was the wholesale adoption of Serbian nationalism by Slobodan Milosevic that paved the way to war in Croatia and Bosnia.
Such an argument is clearly a rejection of the conventional explanation that ine articient peoples of the Balkans have always hated each other and that ethnic cleansing' somehow inevitable. It also places him firmly on the side of multi-ethnic Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Cigar demoastrates that 'ethnic cleansing' is not purely an act by individuals but a necessary part of the whole Greater Serbia project.
On an ideological level Bosnia's Muslims were de### General background on the break-up Branka Magas: The De-. struction of Yugoslavia Tracking the Break-up 1980-92, Versa Sabrina P Ramet: Nationalism & Federalism in Yugoslavia: 1962-1991; Indiana University Press. Lenard J. Cohen: Broken Bonds: The Disintegration of Yugoslavia; Westview Press Branka Magas' book is undoubtedly the best politically. The other two are rather academic in tone; making for fairly heavy reading, but well researched and contain lots of valuable material.
On Bosnian history Noel Malcolm: Bosnia: A Short History, MacMillan Robert J. Donia & John V.A. Fine, Jnr: Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Tradition Betrayed, Hurst & Co. Noel Malcolm is by far the easier to read and, apart from the absolutely outrageous final paragraph, is generally good. Donia & Fine are more academic.
Journalists'
accounts Ed Vulliamy: Seasons In Hell: Understanding Bosnia; Simon & Schuster Mark Thompson: A Paper House: The Ending of Yugoslavia, Vintage Roy Gutman: A Witness to Genocide; Element Misha Glenny: The Fall of Yugoslavis; Penguin Alec Russell: Prejudice & Plum Brandy, Michael Joseph. By definition these tend to be somewhat impressionistic. Ed Vulliamy. is probably the best overall account of the war. Roy Gutman is rather pro-intervention. Misha Glenny is the favourite of the Socialist Workers Party, which shows his political analysis Is way off beam.
However, his book contains valuable material, some or which tenos to con tradict his overall views.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No 88, August 1995, Page 7.