A century ago the region was engulfed by ethnic divisions, but until recently it managed to avoid the wars that led to the breakup of former Yugoslavia a decade ago. Then in March ethnic-Albanian guerrillas began to attack hard-pressed Macedonian forces, which were immediately supported by U.S. and British advice and intelligence. At this writing the guns have gone silent as NATO tanks moved into the area of conflict. An advantage for Macedonia is that 42,000 NATO troops are garrisoned in relatively nearby Kosovo, with U.S. and British contingents of perhaps a few thousand each. Unlike during the initial Balkan outbreaks of 10 years ago, NATO is already in the area. Although Albania itself has professed that it has no territorial ambitions in Macedonia, the existence of Albanian guerrillas is a cause for considerable concern. The head of the International Administration of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, made this observation, ostensibly for the benefit of the United States: "Our work in Bosnia and elsewhere in Southeastern Europe is slow and painstaking. But the progress is real ... [For NATO] to walk away now would be to throw away billions of dollars and years of effort." (Sources: The Guardian, The Times, Scotland on Sunday, The Economist [all London], International Herald Tribune [New York Times].)