Hunger and fury : the crisis of democracy in the Balkans /

This incisive four-chapter book, which draws heavily on the author's doctoral work, warns against the multiplicity of challenges to democracy and European Union (EU) integration that former Yugoslav republics currently face. The volume documents the continuous control that kleptocratic and self-serving former communist elites have retained over the Balkan states, the inefficacy with which the European Union addresses regional problems, if at all, and the increased influence of Russia, China, Turkey and the Gulf states. This "elastic authoritarianism" is rooted in a combination that characterized the region's historical development (oligarchy and criminality), as documented in chapter 1. Chapter 2 focuses on the ways in which regional elites have avoided implementing the reforms requested by the EU, thus trapping Yugoslav successor states into a reactionary and tribal bind. The nefarious meddling of other authoritarian states in Balkan politics is the topic of chapter 3. Chapter 4 cautiously makes the case for civil society mobilization against authoritarianism and for democratization. Written in a passionate but persuasive tone, this book will be of interest to all those who seek to understand reality in the ever-contentious Balkans. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Lavinia Stan, St. Francis Xavier University