I watched the first phase of the Balkans 90s conflict play out whilst studying for a degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at a UK college... it was made immediately part of the course. Since then I've made a constant effort to keep an eye of how things have progressed - right up to the recent duping of the people in Kosovo - who seem to welcome being made one big US/NATO base.

Anyway - apart from a 5 part BBC series - nothing has tackled this issue in the depth it demands till now apart from this Documentary. Ignore the handful of reviewers who claim it's "Serb propaganda" - that's just idiotic - in fact this is one of the best produced and written documentaries I've seen on contemporary geopolitical monkey-business to date! The interview snatches are all from erudite commentators, the chronology is unravelled in a comprehensive manner and footage they've amassed really adds a human quality to things. The footage of elderly Serb and Croat neighbours being forced to pack-up and leave after living together without and issue is heart-wrenching (and definitely not staged before someone suggests this).

Also - by peeling away the propaganda the Serbs have been framed with for so long - we finally begin to hear the real ramifications of the war... which was partially a CORPORATE war. Bosnitch adds some amazing facts - such as the Yugo car industry being terminated by clever bombing - and the take-over by US firm Philip Morris by Clinton agreeing to bomb three times a very successful Serb cigarette factory - so much for military targets??! Recommended. A total and much needed breath of air.

As much as people like to hate the U.S. these day I guess someone could blame us for anything. Look, average people in the former Yugoslavia on all sides are mostly good people and everyone has a point of view. Now for the sad part.

Tito held on to power in communist Yugoslavia for quite some time. Although he reigned in a communist nation he still managed to maintain Yugoslavia's sovereignty from the USSR. He did so by skillfully playing both sides. He aided the Soviet Union in the invasion of Hungary, but then admonished the Soviets in Czechoslovakia. Yes, Yugoslavia was held together under Tito for a long time. Was Yugoslavia prosperous? Yes.

Now let's get to some disagreements. Was Yugoslavia a threat because they were a prosperous communist country ? NO. For one, the U.S., although unsuccessful was actually pretty interested in Yugoslavia BECAUSE they were communists. After WWII the eastern Europeans may not have been happy with the Soviet brand of Communism, but they were pretty happy to have been liberated from the Nazi's. Unless you were polish, then the Nazi's and Communists were not much different. Yugoslavia represented a Communist country that was independent of the USSR, an alternative. The U.S. during Tito's era wanted to use Yugoslavia as sort of a propaganda tool. In fact, much of the reason that Yugoslavia was able to prosper at the time was because the U.S. supplied a lot of aid to keep him from the Soviets, and although he wasn't part of the Soviet's (in fact Stalin wanted him dead) empire, he wasn't completely cutting off communications with them either, so he could reap benefits from them as well. Yugoslavia was kind of a spy center/DMZ type place in Europe which was important during the Cold War.

The U.S. wasn't completely cozy with Tito as he sided with Arabs over the Arab-Israeli conflict, but that just adds to the reason the U.S. wasn't responsible for the war. The U.S. wouldn't prod Yugoslavia into a war and side with Muslims, especially when that is the start to the Al Quaeda age, we just pulled out of Somalia, and the first Gulf war had just ended.

What really happened is the Dictator Tito ( He was a man of his age in history, and not exactly a good guy or bad guy) died. That is when fractures started to occur and a recession hit. Anytime a man with Tito's power dies, there is going to be a power vacuum (see Iraq and Egypt for proof). Tito held the country together with an iron fist, he had to. His death in 1980 was bad timing. The USSR had invaded Afghanistan which became their Vietnam. The U.S. was pouring money into Afghanistan and the death of Tito left them in doubt of who may come out of their, a nationalist/communist like Tito, a Soviet friendly communist, a Muslim nation, or a democracy? So the U.S. was pumping up the economy. The unrest and uncertainty doesn't make for sound investments. Finally we now know the USSR was on it's final legs financially and at the end of the decade they had to call the Cold War quits.

You can throw some of the blame on the U.S. for sure. We did throw some support here and there, but you will find that any country in the world will consider their own interests. You also have to remember that at the time the broken up USSR was selling everything and there was a lot of concerns about nukes floating around which had not only the U.S. and Western Europe afraid, but the Russians as well. The end of the Cold War brought about an economic depression as well because before the end the Cold War had been churning the global economy with a sort of "keeping up with the Jones's" game. The US had a purpose in defeating the Russians and when that stopped a lot of safe guards, aid, contracts etc. came to a halt.

I will agree with the movie about Western Europe. Much of Western Europe now thinks they are a bastion of freedom, equality, etc, etc. The problem is they could really care less about anyone or anything. The U.S. got involved BECAUSE other European countries were willing to ignore a genocide in their back yard. President Clinton (who finally sent troops) lists not sending troops sooner as his biggest failure as a President. He wanted very much to let the Europeans take care of their own backyard for once, and they dropped the ball. Today Europe still does nothing for the rest of the world unless you mention Climate Change, because that benefits them economically.

I think everyone had a bit of a hand in this, but as always, everyone feels better if they can blame the U.S. for everything.

From the beginning is obvious that this is biased "documentary"...

You don't have to wait long to hear blatant lies. In first few minutes author glorifies first Yugoslavia as some great solution in which everyone was so happy and it was so sad it lived only until WWII... In fact it was great deception, and after promises of equality of all nations and constitutional monarchy, it turned out to be Serbian hegemony. On the first day of new state some Croats were killed on main square in Croatian capitol for protesting by Serbian army. 4 Croatian parliamentarians were killed in national parliament by some Serbian representative. After that, Serbian King proclaims dictatorship. After that he changes the name of the state from Kingdom of Serbs Croats and Slovenians to Kingdom of Yugoslavia, with new motto "One nation, one King, one state."

What to say, paradise for all... Author forgot to mention how loved was King. So much that he was assassinated...

As to reasons for breakup of the second Yugoslavia, I can agree that economic troubles were one factor that contributed, but to say it was the sole reason is ridiculous. Something like that could say only someone that wasn't there, or someone who is crazy... Or just lying.

Why doesn't author mention infamous "Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts" from 85/86? Or "organized spontaneity" that Milosevic used to abolish autonomy of Kosovo and Vojvodina? And same "yogurt revolution" approach in Montenegro?

And there it is, plain and simple, main reason for breakup... Suddenly, Serbia has 4 automatic votes in Presidency. Other 4 Republics have 1 each.

WHO would want to stay in such "equality"???????

Economy?!? Come on...

In 89 Markovic even made famous reforms and stabilized Dinar, and situation was much better. And besides that, Yugoslavia was in much better position than rest of communist states of former Soviet block... Did Czech and Slovak's breakup violently?

And claim that Serbs just wanted to protect parts of land where they were majority is like fairytale for little kids. We all remember famous cry "Where is one Serb, it is Serbia!". For example, I'm from Dubrovnik and I wonder where is Serbian majority there? Those Serbs in Dubrovnik I know were hiding in basements from "Peoples" army relentless shelling's, just like I did. What was the point of 10 days war in Slovenia? Who was protected there? Sibenik? Zadar? Vukovar? Sarajevo? Tuzla?....

Why doesn't author admit what was Serbian story then? That they will stop only when they reach "Virovitica - Karlovac- Karlobag" line... That's all of Bosnia and 90% of Croatia.

Author makes note that Croats acquired some weapons illegally, but forgets to mention that weapons of "territorial defense" which belonged to Croatia was illegally confiscated by Yugoslav Peoples Army and given to local Serbs who used it to start armed rebellion on 17. of August 1990. And he forgets to explain how suddenly peoples army which was multinational and had barracks in every corner of Yugoslavia, in just few days become purely Serbian?

To be honest I watched first 45 minutes or so, couldn't stand it any more. Just another try to equalize guilt, with the spin this time... It's a world conspiracy, we couldn't do anything to stop it!

Well, for sure every side is guilty of something, BUT guilt is not equal, and never will be, we all know it. We all know who started it, who was armed to the teeth and how many shells fell on Serbia until finally world and UN understood who is warmonger in ex Yugoslavia and bombed it silly.

BTW, to see that here Izetbegovic is portrayed as the bad boy, the worst one, is simply hilarious. Poor guy didn't know what hit him, Slobo, Karadjic and co. on one side, and Tudjman, Mate Boban and co. on the other. "He wanted all..." Funny!

If you look for objective story, look elsewhere...