Scramble For The Balkans

Economic globalisation has produced austere social jeopardy in extended parts of post-communist Europe with former Yugoslavia and its successor states as the most conspicuous example. This state is exploited, sanctioned and nourished by authoritarian ethnocratic regimes and misconceived Western policies may contribute to its persistence. Bringing new perspectives to bear on these crucial issues, Scramble for the Balkans is essential for scholars and professionals concerned with social reconstruction in the world's increasing number of complex emergencies.

A contemporary history of the Balkans from the break-up of Yugoslavia to the present day, first published in 2006.

After a decade of exclusive nationalism, violence and isolation of the 1990s, the Balkans has seen the emergence of transnational links between the former ethnic foes. Do these new cross-border links herald the era of inter-ethnic reconciliation in place of the politics of ethnic exclusion? Are they a proof of a successful transition from authoritarianism and war to democracy and peace? Drawing on substantial empirical research by regional specialists, Transnationalism in the Balkans provides a sobering insight into the nature of cross-border links in the region and their implications. Several of the authors show how transnational connections in the context of weak states and new borders in the region have been used by transnational actors – be it in the politics, economics and culture -- to undermine a democratic consolidation and keep the practice of exclusive ethnic politics and identities alive. These findings make a strong case to go beyond the region and put forth a critical argument for rethinking the theories of transition to democracy in the post-Communist and post-conflict setting to incorporate a dimension of globalisation. This book was previously published as a special issue of Ethnopolitics.

This book explores historical discourses on the various forms of identity production in film that are based on memory and shows how these narratives get 'mediated' by (documentary) film. Most films about the Balkans produced in the last two decades were in fact made in response to immediate concerns about the economic crises and political conflicts that struck the region during the 1990s. These new forms of communication about history mostly show a rather self-critical approach. The book's case studies give the reader a clear idea of how processes informing identity formations are directly launched and later on maintained in peoples' real and everyday lives. Thus, the case studies' principal objective is to integrate the study of 'private space' with existing macro-debates in politics as well as with dominant discourses within the academic community. The included case studies focus on several topics, i.e. migration, the reproduction and protection of personal as well as collective identities in post-socialist societies, revolutionary processes towards the official end of the Cold War, the (re-)creation of politically constructed narratives, generational conflicts in the post-socialist period, and the fate of women during the war. The multifaceted view of the region under focus in this study shows that common grounds and differences co-exist in the Balkan space, be it on a cultural, economic, social or (geo)-political level. Apart from the field of film studies, this work is a powerful contribution to cultural history as well as to the growing field of visual history.

Across the globe, more powers are being devolved to local and regional levels of government. This book provides an innovative analysis of such decentralisation in transition states in the Balkans. Using new and rich data, it shows how political elites use decentralisation strategically to ensure their access to state resources.

The Balkans have often been a flashpoint of conflict in European history. The recent civil war has torn the country apart and the region faces an uncertain future. This authoritative study provides an account of the history of the whole area from the first major nationalist rising against its Ottoman rulers in 1804 to the aftermath of World War II. Covering the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania , it provides a Balkan-wide overview as well as histories of specific states and sets the context to the recent conflict.

A history of the German invasion of Russia in 1941, in the light of archival material. It challenges the view that Stalin was about to invade Germany when Hitler made a pre-emptive strike, arguing that Stalin was actually negotiating for peace in order to redress the European balance of power.