Sremac offers a penetrating look at how media-generated images and ideas reiterated throughout the Yugoslav civil war hindered Washington's ability to understand what was really happening in the region and made U.S.foreign policy a reflection of sound bites rather than sound reasoning. The process and ideology that guides Washington,in a post-cold war era has allowed special interest groups that understand how Washington works to put forth a message that appeals to tte media and receives endorsement by the U.S. foreign policymaking establishment. Foreign governments and thier supporters in the United States have increasingly tapped into this system. The Yugoslav conflict is one of the first and most important examples of how certain Yugoslav warring parties were able to play out a war of words in Washington to ultimately influence U.S. foreign policy toward the region.