The tragic death of Džemal Bijedić in an airplane crash on a cold January morning in 1977 epitomized for many the end of an era. In death his stature rose, and anniversaries of the tragic crash even now, nearly forty years later, are covered on the evening news in Bosnia. From humble beginnings in the southern Herzegovinian town of Mostar, Bijedić rose to become one of Josip Broz Tito's closest lieutenants and the highest-ranking Muslim official in Tito's Yugoslavia. After stints in the Communist party and government administration, Bijedić emerged as the compromise candidate for the position of Yugoslav prime minister in 1971. He was Tito's choice for a second term and retained the job until his death in 1977.
Bosnian historian Husnija Kamberović's political biography of Bijedić is the most serious work to date about the life and politics of this Communist official. Kamberović conducted impressive archival research in...