This work investigates the systematic nature of the 'ethnic cleansing' campaign in Bosnia during the early 1990s and the failure of the international community to intervene effectively. Roy Gutman, a seasoned foreign correspondent for Newsday, utilizes his on-the-ground reporting to document the atrocities committed during the conflict. By synthesizing his Pulitzer Prize-winning dispatches with historical context regarding the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Gutman constructs a rigorous argument for the necessity of humanitarian intervention in the face of state-sponsored violence.

Experts and historians recognize this collection as a foundational text for understanding the role of investigative journalism in shaping international policy during the Bosnian War. Readers frequently note the stark, clinical nature of the reporting which serves as a critical historical record of the period.