yugoslavias implosion

FOREWORD
Foreword
I
This is a courageous book, in which the author indicts a large portion
of her society, and most especially politicians, for aggressive
nationalism. This, she argues, has been the main reason both for the
wars of 1991–99 and for the continued volatility which characterizes
Serbian political life. This is also a work of passion, reflecting simultaneously
a deep sadness about the decisions and actions taken by
Serbian political figures over a period of more than a century, and
a determination on her part to work for a better future for Serbia.
Biserko has many admirers but, inevitably, she also has foes, and has
been attacked at times in the local nationalist press.
I first met Sonja Biserko in 2001, when she was spending a year
at the u.s. Institute for Peace in Washington d.c. Her reputation as a
champion for human rights preceded her, but I had not visited Belgrade
since 1989, when the escalating drumbeats for war were unmistakable.
Since 2004, I have visited Belgrade on a number of occasions,
most recently in December 2011, affording us on each occasion the
opportunity to meet. My respect for her work has only grown over
the years and the international recognition she has received shows
that I am far from alone in this regard.
Biserko began her career in the Yugoslav foreign service, back
when Josip Broz Tito was still president of the country. She was
posted to the Embassy of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
in London from 1975 to 1979, where she encountered, for the first
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Foreword