War of Words: Washington Tackles the Yugoslav Conflict

The process and ideology that guides Washington, in the post-civil war era has allowed special interest groups that understand how Washington works to put forth a message that appeals to the media and receives endorsement by the US foreign policymaking establishment. Foreign governments and their supporters in the United States have increasingly tapped into this system. The Yugoslav conflict is one of the first and most important examples of how certain Yugoslav warring parties were able to play out a war of words in Washington to ultimately influence US foreign policy toward the region. Sremac goes behind the rhetoric to reveal how certain Yugoslav ethnic factions put all efforts to win the heart of Washington and draw US military intervention to help them fight a war against their ethnic enemies - the Serbs. The US media was more than willing to promote the cause of these warring parties and, as a result, had a profound influence on Washington’s view of Yugoslavia’s ethnic clashes. The author offers a penetrating look at how media-generated images and ideas reiterated throughout the Yugoslav war hindered Washington’s ability to understand what was really happening in the region and made US foreign policy a reflection of sound bites rather than sound reasoning. A controversial look at US foreign policy making, the media and the Balkans, this should be of interest to concerned citizens, scholars and other interested in a behind-the-scenes look at US handling of ethnic conflicts throughout the world.