Amazon.com
In the summer of 1998, freelance journalist Greg Campbell got into a rental car in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, and drove across Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro into Kosovo, where Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic had recently begun stepping up an ongoing "ethnic cleansing" campaign against the ethnic Albanians who make up the majority of the region's population. Staying with local journalists--some of whom were also part of the underground Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)--Campbell was forced to confront the consequences of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.
But, he notes, what happened in that region is equally, if not ultimately, the consequence of the ineffective "protection" offered by NATO forces, including American troops. Drawing on his observations from a 1996 trip to Bosnia, Campbell elaborates upon the unwillingness of those in command of the implementation (later known as stabilization) forces, or SFOR--particularly the American commanders--to do anything more than the bare minimum required by the 1995 Dayton peace accord. Consequently, many Serbian war criminals enjoyed continued liberty, civil unrest continued to flare, and SFOR blamed local authorities for not solving the problem. Under those conditions, Campbell argues, it was inevitable that Kosovo would become another Bosnia.
The Road to Kosovo provides valuable background on the conflict between the Serbs and the Kosovars and NATO's track record in keeping the peace in the Balkans. It is also filled with chilling images of the chaos and terror of modern war. The book should be read by anyone hoping to understand why the 1999 intervention by NATO could take place--and how it might have to differ from earlier actions in order to be judged a success. --Ron Hogan
The Atlantic Monthly, Phoebe Lou Adams
His report is valuable ... for a brisk history of the centuries-old grudges haunting the region, and for descriptions of cranky mountainous country, vile roads, and local opinions--among them, and perhaps most important for future political considerations, the complaint of a frustrated peacekeeper: "I can't point a gun at someone and order him to stop hating his neighbor."
From Booklist
Campbell made two trips to the former Yugoslavia: the first in 1996 to Bosnia, the second in 1998 to Kosovo. His reporter's travelogue is interesting for its flavor of one man, alone, going after the story--most other reporters benefit from lavish support by their large news organizations. If there's safety in numbers in a bar or at a roadblock, Campbell only occasionally enjoyed it--once in the company of a wild man from Soldier of Fortune. On his own otherwise, Campbell describes the scenery of destruction and general dilapidation that the area presents, a miasma of misery underscored by the suspicious who-are-you "Balkan stare" of the inhabitants. Having been initiated to Balkan tension in 1996, he drove from Zagreb to Pristina last year just as the KLA was becoming known. He talked to (and his way past) armed men in outlying areas, in incidents that echoed the palpable fear of the ethnic Albanians preceding the eruption of the war last March. Trenchant, intrepid eyewitness observations that will take readers beyond the television images. Gilbert Taylor
Rocky Mountain News
"The narrative gives an excellent feel for the countryside and the people found in local bars, in living rooms, and on the streets. It is infused with quirky details...as if written by P.J. O'Rourke's more serious younger brother."
Booklist
"Trenchant, intrepid eyewitness observations that will take readers beyond the television images."
Book Description
Updated with two new chapters from his most recent 1999 trip to Kosovo, the author observes the on-the-ground impact of the peace agreement with Milosevic and the NATO peacekeepers' efforts to repair the region This first-person, on-the-road travel adventure takes us through one of the most dangerous and hate-filled regions on earth-the former republics of Yugoslavia-and into a land still reeling from months of brutal combat. Told in a fast-paced, rollicking style that's funny, sad, thoughtful, and at times horrifying, The Road to Kosovo shows us war and the struggle for peace through the eyes of a young journalist. Two new concluding chapters, written after the author's 1999 visit to Kosovo, provide a rare, on-the-ground assessment of the impact of the NATO peacekeeping mission and the peace agreement with Milosevic. The poignant scenes of death, confusion, and hopelessness that Campbell observes -not from media tents but from the homes of locals, in their bars, and on the side of the road-hearken ominously back to the first days of the peace mission in Bosnia. A vivid, uneasy picture emerges of a region resistant to lasting peace.
Book Info
Provides a first-person, on-the-road travel account of Kosovo and the war and struggle for peace through the eyes of a journalist. Softcover.
About the Author
Greg Campbell is the former editor of the Boulder Weekly, and has reported on Bosnia for the past several years. He lives in Longmont, Colorado.
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