This is a difficult acknowledgement to compose, for it is being written by someone from a NATO country for the work of a valiant team of Serbs. They suffered under Communism – Zagorka Goluboviƒ was a member of the "Belgrade Seven" – and worked hard for peace. Yet, as a result, they once again found their University context dominated and repressed. Their account of the proces of disintegration of their country is truly "The Cry" of Edvard Munch. Yet, no one could suspect the bombardment which was to follow.

The conference on which this volume is based was proposed by Professor Goluboviƒ in 1997, prepared by a meeting in Brno that year, and held in Belgrade in 1998. Its authors are themselves the hope that sound minds and good hearts can be found to build a new identity for the coming millenium.