Julie Mertus provides one of the first comprehensive looks at the explosive situation in Kosovo, where years of simmering tensions between Serbs & Albanians erupted in armed conflict in 1998. In a profound & detailed study of national identity & ethnic conflict, Mertus demonstrates how myths & truths can start a war. She shows how our identity as individuals & as members of groups is defined through the telling & remembering of stories. Real or imagined, these stories shape our understanding of ourselves as heroes, martyrs, conquerors, or victims. Once we see ourselves as victims, Mertus claims, we feel morally justified to become perpetrators. Based on a series of interviews conducted in Kosovo, Serbia proper, & Macedonia, this book is one of the first extended treatments of the years leading to war in Kosovo. Mertus examines the formation of Serbian national identity, & closely scrutinizes the hostilities of the region. She shows how myth & experience inform the political ideologies of Kosovo, & explores how these competing beliefs are created & perpetuated. This sobering overview of the region provides a window into a complex struggle whose repercussions reach far into the international community.