In that, he is less successful. The holes in this analysis are obvious even to a reader who knows little about Kosovo. It's just all too simple to really describe the complicated Balkans. You can believe that Serb leaders are evil killers and still wonder why Campbell can't find more ordinary Serbian people to interview. You can support the KLA and still be disturbed by the book's harshly critical take on the non-violent Kosovo nationalist movement that preceded armed struggle in the region.
Similar flaws appear in the author's take on U.S. actions.
The book, which went to press before the bombing began, criticizes the Clinton administration for failing to intervene with more force in the region. But the author never confronts arguments that NATO's real interest in Kosovo has little to do with humanitarian values. Campbell is quite convincing when he says that ancient ethnic hatreds in the region weren't the true problem in the Bosnian conflict. The real catalyst for horror was the ruthless ambition of politicians, who whipped up ultra-nationalist feeling to buttress their own power. But before you know it, the author is arguing that ancient history can explain the situation in Kosovo.