Description
Book SynopsisPresents an account of the momentous events that lead to that transformation, and ultimately unleashed NATO's awesome power as it moved from being a defence alliance to being a peace enforcer.
Trade Review“Coming after a shelf full of books about the Bosnian civil war by the parachutists of the press, here is something different: Philip Corwin’s view of the final months of the conflict from the inner sanctum, the United Nations headquarters in Sarajevo, where he experienced the Bosnian leadership as it really was: greedy for power and money, and life-threatening.”—David Binder,
New York Times “Phillip Corwin’s book provides a useful antidote to the numerous portrayals of the war in Bosnia as a tidy melodrama featuring Serb aggressors and Muslim victims. Corwin’s account of his role in Bosnia as an official of the United Nations offers graphic evidence that the political leaders of all three factions—including the Muslim-dominated government in Sarajevo—were corrupt, brutal, and manipulative. Although readers might justifiably question his positive assessment of the UN’s performance, Corwin’s first-hand observations will be valuable to anyone who wants to gain a greater understanding of the complex events in the former Yugoslavia.”—Ted Galen Carpenter, Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute
“Phillip Corwin’s meticulous account of events in Bosnia shatters the well constructed myth of ‘one victim, one enemy.’ With unswerving attention to detail and a sense of duty, this dedicated UN official unveils the behavior of senior Bosnian officials and their callous disregard of their own people’s suffering. The author modestly persent his memoir as a ‘source book, without which a thorough history of Bosnia cannot be written.’ I may add, this is a first-hand account that policymakers, too, will be well advised to read before they substitute images for reality in formulating policies and before they dispatch more American soldiers to distant places to settle civil wars that local demagogues have caused in their pursuit of power and in their greed.”—Donald M. Payne, U.S. House of Representatives
“The largely untold ‘other side’ of the story focusing on the role of the Bosnian government is written with intense verve by a dedicated UN international civil servant coping with deep distrust, ethnic cleansing, cruelty, threats, and war. Corwin’s service was in the tradition of Ralph Bunche, whose dedication to the UN and its charter set an example of integrity and commitment for other UN officials serving in peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations.”—Dr. Joseph J. Sisco, Chairman of the Academy of Diplomacy and former Undersecretary of State
