To End a War: The Conflict in Yugoslavia--America's Inside Story--Negotiating with MilosevicRandom House Publishing Group, 1999 M05 25 - 464 pages When President Clinton sent Richard Holbrooke to Bosnia as America's chief negotiator in late 1995, he took a gamble that would eventually redefine his presidency. But there was no saying then, at the height of the war, that Holbrooke's mission would succeed. The odds were strongly against it. As passionate as he was controversial, Holbrooke believed that the only way to bring peace to the Balkans was through a complex blend of American leadership, aggressive and creative diplomacy, and a willingness to use force, if necessary, in the cause for peace. This was not a universally popular view. Resistance was fierce within the United Nations and the chronically divided Contact Group, and in Washington, where many argued that the United States should not get more deeply involved. This book is Holbrooke's gripping inside account of his mission, of the decisive months when, belatedly and reluctantly but ultimately decisively, the United States reasserted its moral authority and leadership and ended Europe's worst war in over half a century. To End a War reveals many important new details of how America made this historic decision. What George F. Kennan has called Holbrooke's "heroic efforts" were shaped by the enormous tragedy with which the mission began, when three of his four team members were killed during their first attempt to reach Sarajevo. In Belgrade, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Paris, Athens, and Ankara, and throughout the dramatic roller-coaster ride at Dayton, he tirelessly imposed, cajoled, and threatened in the quest to stop the killing and forge a peace agreement. Holbrooke's portraits of the key actors, from officials in the White House and the Élysée Palace to the leaders in the Balkans, are sharp and unforgiving. His explanation of how the United States was finally forced to intervene breaks important new ground, as does his discussion of the near disaster in the early period of the implementation of the Dayton agreement. To End a War is a brilliant portrayal of high-wire, high-stakes diplomacy in one of the toughest negotiations of modern times. A classic account of the uses and misuses of American power, its lessons go far beyond the boundaries of the Balkans and provide a powerful argument for continued American leadership in the modern world. |
From inside the book
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Page 36
... reason we are here - the pictures of the camps will help Land do his job .... Noon : The difficult trip to Banja Luka has begun . As I write this , we are sit- ting in a long line of cars and trucks at the Croatian border , about 60 ...
... reason we are here - the pictures of the camps will help Land do his job .... Noon : The difficult trip to Banja Luka has begun . As I write this , we are sit- ting in a long line of cars and trucks at the Croatian border , about 60 ...
Page 85
... reason their weapon , freedom their cause , and peace their goal . " Praising them as " quiet American heroes , " the President said that " Bob , Joe , and Nelson were in Bosnia because they were moved by the terrible injustice and ...
... reason their weapon , freedom their cause , and peace their goal . " Praising them as " quiet American heroes , " the President said that " Bob , Joe , and Nelson were in Bosnia because they were moved by the terrible injustice and ...
Page 239
... reason , and it seems to work , so I'm quite content to go along with your instincts . " I thanked him for his confidence . As he left for Washington , I reflected on the long road we had traveled together . I had known Warren ...
... reason , and it seems to work , so I'm quite content to go along with your instincts . " I thanked him for his confidence . As he left for Washington , I reflected on the long road we had traveled together . I had known Warren ...
Contents
The Most Dangerous Road in Europe August 1521 1995 | 3 |
The Greatest Collective Failure 199193 | 27 |
A Personal Prelude 1992 | 34 |
Copyright | |
18 other sections not shown
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To End a War: The Conflict in Yugoslavia--America's Inside Story ... Richard Holbrooke Limited preview - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
Administration agreed agreement Air Force Albright Ambassador American asked Balkan Banja Luka began Belgrade bombing Bosnian Serbs called Carl Bildt cease-fire Chirac Chris Hill civilian Clark colleagues commander conference Contact Group Croatian Croats Dayton Dayton agreement delegation Deputy diplomatic discussion Donilon draft eastern Slavonia effort elections ethnic Europe European Federation final Foreign Minister Frasure French Geneva Gorazde Haris Haris Silajdzic Holbrooke IFOR Igman implementation issue Izetbegovic Joulwan journalists Karadzic Kerrick Kornblum Krajisnik later leaders meeting ment military Milosevic Milosevic's Mladic Muslims NATO negotiating team Owen Pale Pardew Pauline Neville-Jones peace Pentagon Perry political President Clinton Prijedor problem refugees Republika Srpska Russian Sacirbey Sandy Berger Sarajevo Secretary senior September Serbia Shalikashvili Silajdzic Srebrenica Strobe Talbott talks tion told trip troops Tudjman United Nations wanted Warren Christopher Washington White House York Yugoslav Yugoslavia Zagreb