The disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s shattered the Balkans, unleashing the horror of extreme nationalism. Macedonia seemed to have been spared the bloodletting. In reality, it was only postponed. The newly independent Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia remains a powder-keg waiting to explode.

Journalist John Phillips describes the bloody rebellion initiated by Albanian guerrillas demanding rights equal to those of the dominant Slavs in Macedonia, a conflict that killed and wounded hundreds of people and set off fears that the crisis would draw in surrounding Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, and Greece. International intervention brought an uneasy halt to the bloodshed in the summer of 2001, but hardline Macedonian nationalists-including some under investigation by the international war crimes tribunal-have hindered full implementation of the peace agreement and may renew their campaign.

John Phillips has covered both the fighting on the front lines and the behind-the-scenes diplomatic intrigue in Macedonia. Now, presenting the events, politics, and personalities, he shows how the instability in Macedonia threatens any hope of a lasting peace in the Balkans.