Unlike most Western histories of the region, which tend to neglect the concurrent evolution of Croatia's constituent parts, it shows instead that Croatia developed gradually and organically. Magaš pays particular attention to the historical turning points at which a state seemingly marked for extinction managed to bounce back. She also observes that the ties that bound Croatia to other states for centuries have contributed to the state's vitality, with a complex web of Slav, Croat, Dalmatian, Slavonian, Serb, Jewish, Italian, Yugoslav and other identities emerging as part of an ongoing social and political dialogue, which at times has included open strife.

AUTHOR BIO:
Branka Magaš is a historian, journalist and commentator on the former Yugoslavia. She co-founded the Croatian Peace Forum in 1991 and the Alliance to Defend Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1993. She is the author of several works, including The Destruction of Yugoslavia.