ABSTRACT
The subject of international military responses to the Balkan wars is fascinating and frustrating. The tendency is to go immediately into a detailed analysis of the campaigns, commitments, tactics and techniques. However, such an investigation would be meaningless without understanding the strategic frame of reference for the various participants. This is particularly the case with the late Balkan wars; no international military response occurred except as an extension of larger political considerations. Indeed, even at the lowest tactical level, the actions and reactions of the members of the international force were carefully specified, circumscribed, monitored and controlled. An elaborate communication and control network made individual decisions by members of the international force both rare and unwelcome. Essentially, all significant military decisions (and a great many that were not) were vetted through higher level authorities, often at much expense of time. Not surprisingly, this desire for micro control was simply incompatible with an adequate response to a constantly changing, often dangerous, situation.
