The reviewer below is too generous in allocating his stars, but I essentially agree with the views presented. Dragnich is otherwise a quite effective propagandist for the Serb nationalist cause, at least in America, since he has the veneer of academic legitimacy. This book is essentially an appendix to his earlier epic of pro-Serbian historiography called "Serbs and Croats." Read this only if you're doing an analysis of propaganda in the recent Balkan wars. The only thing I can't believe is that this was published as a part of the "East European Monographs," otherwise a series of fine scholarly works, which this book definitely is not.

The author provides a slick, articulate defense for the actions of his thuggish kinsmen extending the boundaries of "Greater Serbia" (Milosevic, Karadavic, Mladic). Revolutions may be won by illiterate, gun-toting gangsters, but in order to justify their existence they inevitably turn to members of the "intelligentsia". The author performs an admirable job of providing just enough pontificating to appear unbiased, while eagerly embracing the antics of a group of wannabe Storm Troopers. Give this material an "I" for idiotic.

Recent events in the Balkans have shown that due to the ethnological, neopolitical and historical complexity of the region, in depth analysis is of paramount importance in understanding the truth. Apart from the thousands that have died in the 1990's during the Yugoslav civil war, another victim of war has been the truth, as is the case in most wars, especially in the 20th century.
The truth is based on undisputed facts (dates, events etc), and in relation to opinion, the truth always lies somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, the two previous "reviewers," instead of treating this book for what it is, i.e. a valuable primary source from the Serb point of view, they dismiss it on the grounds that is written by a University of Belgrade professor...This book provides valuable and serious insight in understanding the Serbian psyche. It is a "must" for any serious historian or political analyst interested in the Balkan region.

Dragnich's view is that the Serbs were the victims since the Ottomon Turks conquered Serbia. People with common sense would say that this view is not based on facts. Dragnich defends the Serbs even though most of the facts don't back him up. He simply ignores those facts, and digs up what facts and statistics do make the Serbs look good.
For instance, Dragnich maintains the Serb government had nothing to do with the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Of course he ignores the facts that the Black Hand terrorist group was supported by the Serb intelligence group of the Army.
Dragnich states Princip was just a fanatical Bosnian Serb. He also blames Franz Ferdinand because he should not have ventured to Bosnia during the time because of the Serb national holiday.
This is just one instance where Dragnich ignores the facts and says the victims were the Serbs and not the Archduke and his wife.
For the remainder of the book, Dragnich portrays the Croats, Slovenes, and Muslims as benefiting from Serb rule. This would be like equating a colony as a good experience for those ruled.
Atrocities, well the Croats and Muslims were more guilty than the Serbs. This is the context of this book.
At the very least, one gains an idea of what the Serbs have in their heads. This explains what happened in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. The Serbs say let us take back what we gave them. It might not be true, but this is how they explain their actions.

As a relatively young American, with little knowledge of the conflict in the Balkans, I decided to pick up a book that would give me an unbiased opinion on the conflict, so that I could form my own opinion. I thought that a book with the title, "Serbs and Croats: The Struggle in Yugoslavia" would be such a book. I was wrong. While informative, the information does have a very strong slant. This is probably due to the heavy influence the Serbs have on the media. It is the same influence that led to our nation's ignorance of the Concentration camps set up in Serbia and Croatia during the war. So, if you are looking for an interesting and quick read on the topic, this is a book to read, however, if you want an unbiased book, this is NOT the book to read. I have also picked up Croatia: A History, which is surprisingly much less biased, and much more thorough. I would recommend that book over Serbs and Croats, if you want something more substantial, and less biased.

Recent events in the Balkans have shown that due to the ethnological, geopolitical and historical complexity of the region, in depth analysis is of paramount importance in understanding the truth.
Apart from the thousands that have died in the 1990's during the Yugoslav civil war, another victim of war has been the truth, as is the case in most wars, especially in the 20th century.
The truth is based on undisputed facts (dates, events etc), and in relation to opinion, the truth always lies somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, the two previous "reviewers," instead of treating this book for what it is, i.e. a valuable primary source from the Serb point of view, they dismiss it on the grounds that is written by a University of Belgrade professor. A rather childish and yet dangerous reaction.
In a democracy all voices should be heard instead of being immediately disregarded on the basis of their origin. One cannot and should not silence another just because they disagree with them!
This book provides valuable and serious insight to the understanding of the Serbian psyche. It is a "must" for any serious historian or political analyst interested in the Balkan region.