Slobodan Milosevic on Trial A Companion

From 1991 to 1999, Slobodan Milosevic launched and ultimately lost four Balkan wars, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of millions. He saw himself as a modern day Abe Lincoln, employing force in a valiant effort to hold his crumbling Yugoslavia together. But the ruthless Serb leader's tactics included systematic war crimes and ethnic cleansing, ultimately prompting the U. S. and its NATO allies to launch a controversial military intervention in the spring of 1999 to halt the bloodshed.Now Milosevic is on trial in The Hague before the United Nations-created International War Crimes Tribunal. He is the first former head of state ever to face international justice. The televised trial of Slobodan Milosevic is expected to last for two years and could well prove to be the most watched criminal proceedings since the trial of O. J. Simpson.There is much the public will want to know about this historic and complex trial. Written in a lively, journalistic style by two of the leading experts on the International War Crimes Tribunal, Slobodan Milosevic on Trial: A Companion is designed to inform the reader about what to watch for, who the players are, what the rules are, who has won in the past, and who is likely to win this time. Complete with maps, photos, and a glossary of legal terms, this comprehensive guide to the Milosevic trial will help the public understand the important and complex proceedings taking place in The Hague.

Michael P. Scharf is Professor of Law and Director of the War Crimes Research Office at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.