Endgame in the Balkans: Regime Change, European Style

Pond is cautiously upbeat about the prospects for both the European Union and the Balkan states that want in. The link between the two constitutes the warp and woof of her book, but, in utterly lucid fashion, she does her weaving by tracing the broader, often unsteady, sometimes rapid path back to modern European ways in each of the Balkan countries, beginning with Romania and the striking success story, Bulgaria. All, however -- including Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia -- are given their due. With just enough history to illuminate each story, Pond skillfully guides the reader through the intricate interplay between the region's later violence (Bosnia and Kosovo) and each country's painful effort to put the pieces back together and chase the hope of joining Europe's effort to achieve a common economic space with sturdy political institutions and a unified voice.