I am from Mostar and i know how is to be in war.

_Mapping European Security After Kosovo_is a collection of ten essays by Scandinavian, German, and British scholars about the ways in which the conflict in Kosovo has shaped post-Cold War European security. The preliminary two chapters provide an overview of the Kosovo conflict, placing it in the context of globalization. Peter Van Ham (Netherlands Institute of International Relations "Clingendael") argues that, by not accepting the rationales of European integration and European security, Milosevic's Serbia "posed itself as the main challenge to the emerging new European order (NEO), and, by ignoring the logic of NEO realism, raised the key question that European policy makers and theorists have tried to ignore: on what stable foundations can European security be constructed?" (p. 6). He concludes that Kosovo has been 'both the pretext and ultimate context in which the contemporary reading of 'European security' is taking place. Chapters three, four, and five then probe Kosovo's impact on the idea of war itself. Was NATO's involvement all-out war, a military intervention, or merely an "air operation? asks Pertti Joenniemi of the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute (p. 6). To describe NATO's bombing as "war" - at least from a NATO perspective - would be a "misnomer" and would even "undermine NATO's effort to construct itself as a new transatlantic community," he states (p.60). Joenniemi concludes that, in Kosovo, war has "transcended its modern meaning without becoming an integral part of the new and incoming, and without altogether leaving behind the old ideas of war (p. 63). In the next chapter, Iver Neumann (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo) explores the concept of legitimacy in war, namely who can wage war, by which means, and over which issues. NATO was able to "pose as the representative of humanity," he avers, because "liberal globalization is left as the only political program with any global appeal" (p. 7). In the following chapter "Kosovo and the End of the United Nations?" Heikki Patomaki (Nottingham Trent University, England) takes a pessimistic view. He believes that the "domestication" of the UN by the United States has "severely damaged" both the moral basis of UN pluralism and the legal procedures and rules on which the UN has been based. A product of the "Hegelian fallacy of identifying success with being right," the US elite might not "learn to listen to others" until it suffers a major economic collapse, he posits (p. 97). In contrast to the chapters by Joenniemi, Neumann, and Patomaki, which view Kosovo as a product of the decay of modern institutions, the next three chapters by Maja Zehfuss (University of Warwick, England), Andreas Behnke (Stockholm University), and Mika Aaltola (University of Tampere, Finland) investigate the symbolic nature of the Kosovo crisis, the "virtualization"of politics, and the language games involved in enemy creation and identity construction. Mikkel Rasmussen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) discusses the use of the concept of "civilization" to justify the bombings in Kosovo when the West realized that the campaign had only the flimsiest foundations in international law. In the final chapter, Christoph Zürcher (Free University of Berlin) shows how the Kosovo and Chechen conflicts resemble each other: both are post-socialist, post-imperialist conflicts not easily explained by realist approaches. Both conflicts were also largely influenced by domestic considerations and by the need of Russia and NATO respectively to "send messages" (p. 193).
Mapping European Security After Kosovo has many strengths. For example, it challenges traditional assumptions about war, sovereignty, and hegemony. It also provides fresh, provocative views by non-American authors. Unfortunately, it lacks an analytical summary at the end, as well as an index and bibliography. The essays largely draw on published secondary sources. Although some of the theoretical essays are too abstract for undergraduates, graduates and specialists will find this book stimulating and useful. Dr. Johanna Granville,
Stanford University

I've just been handed a copy of this wonderful book, and although I haven't read it yet, just flipping through it and looking at the photographic plates is sufficient proof that this is an exceptional book. Every page shows reproductions of wonderful painters from Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia who are completely unknown here in the United States. It's hard to imagine that the story of modern art can be told without reference to these artists, and yet it has until now. Clearly a labor of love and many years in the making, this book is a must read for anyone who truly wants to learn something new about art and have their eyes opened both literally and figuratively.

The Ottoman Kitchen makes for a delightful journey to this historic area. Having visited Greece and Turkey two years ago, the book immediately caught my attention.

The recipes are accompanied by an interesting overview of the area. One should not be too surprised that Turkey and its neighbouring countries offer cuisine that is similar in many ways. These countries' common past is the reason for this.

The author has adapted the recipes for a North American kitchen. There is no need to obtain what might be unobtainable ingredients in North America.

The book bought back many memories of this fascinating region. I have already tried my first recipe (Topkapi pilaf), and intend to try many more.

Not only is the book beautiful to behold ... the food contained therein is a true delight to savour!

author stole milton's title, so can I. Doran William Cannon author, Paradise Regained, 1999

Prime Time Crime: Balkan Media In War And Peace by Kemal Kurspahic offers a compelling tale of power, control, threat, and the outnumbered few who fought to preserve their journalistic integrity during the bloody Balkan conflicts. Closely examining Slobodan Milosevic's stranglehold on the media and his callous use of it to churn out favorable propaganda for his murderous and genocidal expansionism, Prime Time Crime is a combination of modern history and real-life cautionary tale, which is especially recommended reading for students of Journalism, Contemporary European Studies, and Post-Cold War Yugoslavian History.

This is the first truly comprehensive and objective study of the Russian army's military control of Romanian territory during the years 1940 to 1941, and its occupation of the country from 1945 to 1958. The Red Army In Romania draws from archival sources as the authors discuss the geopolitical and historical conditions that enabled the Russians to occupy Romania, the consequences of the occupation for the country (especially on the political life of the citizenry), and the establishment of a totalitarian Communist regime. The authors also deal with the consequences of the Red Army's stationing on Romanian territory, its impact on the evolution of social relations in the country, and the opposition of romanian society to the military occupation. Detailed attention is given to the economic aspects of the occupation . The Red Army In Romania is very highly recommended for students of Cold War Romanian history and European focused international studies

Romania Revisited is the definitive story of journeys made by English travelers to Romania between 1602 and 1941. Alan Ogden interweaves impressions of previous generations of travelers into the witty account of his own explorations made in the summer and winter of 1998. Romania Revisited offers a comprehensive and perspicacious review of today's Romania as it focuses on the heritage and art of the country, as well as Ogden's own novel experiences while en route. Illustrated with Ogden's photography and helpful maps, Romania Revisited presents a valuable, highly recommended contribution to the study of the perception of Romania by English outsiders down through the centuries, and at the same time does valued, much appreciated service for visitors to Romania today.

Author Steven Roper has given us a wonderful examination of post-1989 Romania, and the trials and tribulations the country has experienced.

Roper begins with an overview of Romanian history, including a clear and concise look at how Nicolae Ceausescu (the megalomaniac Romanian dictator executed during the 1989 revolution) rose to power, and then created a destructive personality cult around himself. It's sad to see a country with so much potential, and such wonderful human and natural resources, still suffering today because of one man's insane policies.

Roper's work really shines, though, in his detailed examination of Romanian political, economic, and foreign policy development since the revolution. While it's a bit confusing at times (because of the proliferation of political groups and their initials!), it's an excellent, well researched, and well annotated look at the country. The bibliography is also well stocked, and will keep the interested reader busy for quite a while.

If you have followed Romania's development after Ceausescu was discarded, or have an interest in the country's current status, this is a must-read book.

Paintings of the Balkan war zone accompany text by Yockey in this exceptional example of war photography which also is recommended for students of Balkan history. The paintings reflect observations of culture as serving as examples of art history in motion: Ruined Landscapes deserves a place in both art and history library collections as a moving set of portraits of the Balkan war experience.