One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. In this debate series, CER columnist Sam Vaknin presents five articles - an introduction and then a look at four seperate terrorist/freedom fighter groups - to try to unravel the truth behind Balkan violence.
Over the coming weeks, we will present successive articles in the series, but also commissioned responses from other specialists on the region. CER readers are invited to send in contributions as well and can comment on issues either raised by Dr Vaknin or anyone else who responds to him. Selected comments will be published in CER.
Introduction
- The Union of Death
- by Sam Vaknin
What terrorist/freedom fighter groups all have in common
- by Sam Vaknin
Croatia
The Insurgents and the Swastika
- by Sam Vaknin
The bloody legacy of the Ustaša on Croatia's national conscience
- by Sam Vaknin
Response:
- Match Point, Badly Played
- by Pat FitzPatrick
Why Vaknin's inability to present a balanced picture of the Croato-Serb relations and the war is detrimental to Croatia's process of coming to terms with the past
- by Pat FitzPatrick
Macedonia
- by Sam Vaknin
The rise and fall of Macedonia's IMRO
- by Sam Vaknin
Response:
- Fumbling over the Facts
- by Židas Daskalovski
Vaknin gets key facts wrong in his analysis of IMRO and the formation of Macedonian national identity.
- by Židas Daskalovski
Serbia
- by Sam Vaknin
Fighting for a Greater Serbia
- by Sam Vaknin
Response:
- by Slavko Živanov
A Serbian response to Vaknin's view of the Black Hand.
- by Slavko Živanov
Albania
- by Sam Vaknin
The KLA has been a political success story of the 1990s in the Balkans. Whether it can survive in peacetime is another matter.
- by Sam Vaknin
Response:
- by Artur Nura
An Albanian journalist laments Western standards of reporting.
- by Artur Nura
If you have something to add to the debate contact us.
Also of Interest
 After the Rain: How the West Lost the East Sam Vaknin's book on special offer from CER |
