European recognition remains one of the most controversial issues in the Yugoslav crisis. Richard Caplan analyzes the highly assertive role that Germany played, the reputedly catastrophic consequences of recognition and the radical departure from customary state practice represented by the EC's use of political criteria as the basis of recognition. Caplan also explores the wider implications of the EC's actions, offering insights into European security policy at the end of the Cold War, the relationship of international law to international relations and the management of ethnic conflict.