“[A] strong argument for greater participation of women’s groups in peacemaking and reconstruction afer mass violence occurs. The book includes many personal anecdotes and Hunt’s thoughtful observations. For readers unfamiliar with the war and its aftermath, this personal yet analytic account provides a useful primer. Recommended. General readers and undergraduate students all levels.” — G. Conway, Choice
“[Hunt] contributes a conceptual link between national security and engagement with people affected by our policies that is missing from the tool kit of US foreign policy, arguing for the necessity to overcome the ‘gulf between distant policy makers and the people on the scene’ and to not neglect the role that women should play in preventing conflict. . . . She offers fascinating insights into the policy dilemma facing the White House in how to handle a new post – Cold War Russia and Congress.” — Lawrence Butler, Mediterranean Quarterly
“Amusing anecdotes litter the book. . . . [Hunt] attempts to form a coherent response to this tissue of half-truths and myths about the Balkans that she believes lay behind many of the fatal mistakes America and her allies made during the Bosnian wars.” — Ky Krauthamer, Transitions Online
“Hunt has done a nice job of presenting her experiences in a clear fashion. . . . She ventured into Bosnia with little in the way of academic prejudice and saw things as a concerned human being. With that in mind, I was encouraged by her evenhanded view of Balkan topics, especially regarding sticking points like responsibility.” — Robert Niebuhr, Canadian Slavonic Papers
“This book is anything but dry. It's sort of a behind the scenes look at why what happened happened and also why we (the Americans) and the rest of the world acted in the way that we did. I think Hunt did a great job at making this event and the facets of international relations that could be found within accessible to everyone. Bottom line: This is a great book that covers some important lessons!” — A Bookish Affair
“This is a remarkable collection of insights... What is appealing about Hunt’s book is how she uses her view of the Balkans to promote a positive agenda both in Bosnia and elsewhere.” — Erik Jones, Survival
“Worlds Apart reminds the reader how difficult and yet imperative is individual and collective action in the face of moral collapse. . . . . It took over a decade for Swanee Hunt to distill and to write the experiences from Bosnia. That history and its lessons remain eerily relevant today.”
— Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Christian Science Monitor
“[T]he book is an absorbing read. . . . [G]eneral readers, students and activists will find much of value in a book that is more accessible than most academic works on the conflict. Academics and regional experts may not find much new material, but there are enough details and conversations with senior politicians to warrant reading it purely for the insight it offers into diplomatic and political life of the 1990s. . . .” — Jelena Obradovic-Wochnik, Times Higher Education
“Ambassador Hunt has long championed a greater and more substantive role for women in political and civil life and this book is rich with illustrations why that cause is both worthy today and should have been employed much earlier in the Balkan unraveling that led to the wars over Bosnia and Kosovo. . . . Whether the reader may agree with Swanee Hunt’s opinions on Bosnia or not, one can come away from this book with some useful lessons to apply to areas of conflict generally.” — William P. Kiehl, American Diplomacy
“Ambassador Hunt has given us a bold, firsthand, outspoken book. It comes as close as we’ve gotten to answering the wherefores of Bosnia’s stark violence. Her juxtaposition of inside realities and outside misconceptions is convincing support for the broader lessons she offers us.” — General John Galvin, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, and former Dean, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
“Good research. Brilliant analysis. Important book. These lessons about global security are especially urgent in light of today’s headlines.” — Dan Rather, internationally acclaimed veteran newscaster
“Swanee Hunt has written an intelligent, insightful, and highly readable account of the Bosnia conflict and America’s response to it. She brings to her analysis the passion appropriate to a firsthand account, together with a critical and sophisticated appreciation for the larger political context. Those interested in lessons important to future policy will not be disappointed. The book is an important addition to the literature on Bosnia, and on the continuing debate over appropriate circumstances for military intervention for humanitarian purposes.” — Ambassador Robert Gallucci, former Dean, Georgetown School of Foreign Service
“The slaughter in Bosnia in the 1990s still haunts policymakers everywhere. With Worlds Apart, Swanee Hunt brings us all into the room alongside the decision makers at the center of an international crisis, and she simultaneously draws important lessons from those events for the resolution of future conflicts. It’s a compelling read for anyone motivated to learn those larger lessons from a tragedy that tested the will of the free world.” — Senator John Kerry, Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee