To write about the national question [of] Yugoslavia is to enter a mine field of national prejudices ready to explode. Djilas enters this mine field with courage but not recklessness. His evenhandedness is impressive...He provides remarkably dispassionate descriptions of a wide range of movements, ideologies, personalities, and evils...His book should be essential reading for anyone interested in Yugoslavia's troubled past and doubtful future.
   --Dennison Rusinow, New York Times Book Review

What can explain the inability of Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, Muslims, Albanians, and Hungarians to come to a peaceful settlement of their differences?...Djilas explain[s] all this and more...with verve, intelligence, and a superb mastery of facts.
   --Istvan Deak, New Republic

Aleksa Djilas was Research Associate, Russian Research Center, Harvard University, from 1987 to 1994.