Walker Connor
Why did the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia occur and how did it take place without violence? With an approach that is at once imaginative, comprehensive, and effective, Kraus and Stanger juxtapose explanations advanced by several scholars with the insider views offered by leading political figures—both Czech and Slovak—who participated in the process. The resulting tour de force represents indispensable reading for all who are interested in the comparative study of nationalism and separatism.
—(Walker Connor, Trinity College, Hartford)
Jacques Rupnik
Amidst an avalanche of books on the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, this is the first comprehensive study of the peaceful divorce of Czechoslovakia. It provides a rare combination of perspectives from both sides of the divide and puts them in a broader comparative framework. Neither a lament on how Czechoslovakia could have been "saved" nor, making virtue out of necessity, the discovery of a "model" for future candidates for "separation with a human face" in Canada or Belgium, this work provides a clear, informed, and thoughtful assessment of the dissolution of a European state.
—(Jacques Rupnik, Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques)
Gordon Skilling
Excellent. ...A significant contribution to the literature on transition and on the disintegration of states in the contemporary world.
—(Gordon Skilling, University of Toronto )
