Overview
This volume will provide an important perspective as to why the former nation of Yugoslavia disintegrated and many of its citizens became victims in the violent clashes that ensued. Revisiting such history (in the first part of book) will help the reader understand the second part of the book, which lays out the important challenges facing countries in this region 20 years after the onset of the conflicts in the 1990s. In it, the author evaluates the state of the regional economies and the policies on which they are based. It strikes a hopeful chord that out of the devastation wrought by the nationalistic struggles resulting in this period, an opportunity exists to create a bright future if the right kind of leadership emerges. It includes a plea to leaders in both Europe and the United States not to abandon the Balkan nations or let them continue to lag behind the economic progress in the rest of Europe. Mr. Hrustanovic makes a good case that the development of a healthy, integrated economy in the Balkans is in the interests of both Europe and the United States.