Now that the United States has committed large numbers of ground troops to keep the peace in Bosnia and Kosova, it is important that her citizens learn about these areas. The history of the Balkans is typical of that where cultures have met and fought over the territory for centuries. It is the area where the three religions of Islam, Orthodox Christian and Catholicism share a common border with enclaves of each embedded in the other. Nearly all of the borders in that area of the world are artificial, political creations that do not reflect the ethnic and religious composition of the regions. This has led to centuries of hostility, which occasionally explodes into mass killing.
Nearly all of the nations in that area are less than a century old, and in the case of Albania, the idea of the nation is very recent. With substantial differences in customs separating the northern and southern regions, loyalty to the nation over their region among the inhabitants is an idea that postdates the creation of the country. Up until the end of the second world war, Albania was also in danger of being partitioned between the neighboring states.
All of this in combination generates a complex political and social problem that has yet to be resolved. Vickers does an excellent job in describing the events that led to the current battles in Kosova, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia. The recounting of the centuries of conflict is well done and helps explain why U. S. military forces are needed there. The history of the region is that of more powerful nations achieving and maintaining control by manipulating the hostilities that exist between the various groups. For centuries, this was how the Ottoman empire ruled the region and world war two in the Balkans was largely a local conflict between the ethnic groups where the Germans and Italians favored one group over another.
In reading this history of the region, one finds it difficult to see a way in which the U.S. and NATO presence can easily be removed. Down through the years, there have been years of uneasy peace between the various groups and the current situation could just be another such time. Nevertheless, it is important for the U. S. to be involved and this book is a good way to learn why the forces should be involved and will no doubt be there for some time.
