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A new book by a 1987 St. Lawrence alumnus promises to offer "seminal insight into the 1999 NATO-led war over Kosovo and the negotiations that took place between the United States and Russia in an effort to set the terms for ending the conflict." Collision Course: NATO, Russia and Kosovo, by John Norris '87, was published in March 2005 by Praeger Publishers.

"If Europe, Russia and international bodies such as the U.N. and NATO end up playing a more prominent role in Iraq's immediate future, all parties, including the United States, would do well to revisit the lessons learned during the U.S.-led war in Kosovo in 1999," the book's publishers state. "As a confrontation over Kosovo's final push for independence looms, this book offers seminal insight into the negotiations that took place between the United States and Russia in an effort to set the terms for ending the conflict. This study in brinksmanship and deception is an essential background for anyone trying to understand Russia's uneasy relations with the West."

Norris is the International Crisis Group's Washington chief of staff; the International Crisis Group is "an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization, with over 100 staff members on five continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict." Norris' responsibilities include analysis in the Balkans, Asia and Africa. Before joining Crisis Group, he served as the director of communications for the Deputy Secretary of State. Earlier in his career, Norris was the head speechwriter and a field relief worker and at the U.S. Agency for International Development. In addition, he has worked on Capitol Hill and has a graduate degree in public administration. Norris' St. Lawrence degree is in psychology, and he particpated in the University's program of study in Vienna.

Posted: May 19, 2005