In the first authoritative biography of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic, Adam LeBor documents the life of a man whose policies instigated four wars, who skilfully exploited the most modern techniques of media management to whip up a nationalist frenzy, and under whose rule bloody campaigns of ethnic cleansing systematically destroyed a once sophisticated multi-national country.

With unrivalled access to many of those closest to Milosevic since his rise to power - including his wife Mira Markovic, brother Borislav and former political allies - Adam draws the most complex picture of Milosevic yet. He reveals a family history of deep unhappiness that shaped the ruthless leader he later became. He describes Milosevic's all-important marriage to Mira, who offered him an entree into the highest circles of Yugoslavia's political elite, and explores Milosevic's key relationship with his best friend Ivan Stambolic, who first introduced him to the world of international banking - making contacts that Milosevic would later use to finance his wars - and whom he would later oust in a ruthless act of political betrayal.

LeBor details the ascendency of crime over politics in the new republic, exemplified by the vanished money (estimated at some $30 billion) and son Marko's various 'enterprises'. Here too is the unknown Milosevic - the family man with a powerful paternal love for both Marko and his daughter Marija.

LeBor also explores Milosevic's relationships with key figures including Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. He reveals details of the secret channels that ran from Belgrade to Zagreb throughout the war as Milosevic and Tudjman conspired to carve up Bosnia. He also recounts the details of the negotiations between the many Western diplomats, politicians and businessmen with whom Milosevic dealt for over a decade. And he tells the tragic story of Milosevic's wars - in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Finally, he reveals the behind-the-scenes details of the unprecedented international operation to bring down the Milosevic regime, that culminated in the siege of his house and arrest in April 2001, his extradition and trial in The Hague.

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