This book provides a very timely message for western, especially European, policy-makers, facing the prospect of involvement in supporting state rebuilding in countries such as Libya and Syria, and above all in Ukraine, where the similarities with the challenges the United Nations and the European Union faced in Kosovo after 1999 and that state's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 are considerable. The author was, until 2010, head of the economics unit of the International Civilian Office in Kosovo, the ICO head doubling as the EU's Special Representative. He admits he was fired just several hours before the expiry of his contract and has since then been openly critical of the ICO and the parallel EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) established in 2008. These events clearly influence his writing, as the book's critics, within and outside EULEX, have pointed out. Some of these counter criticisms are valid, especially the views of US judge James Hargreaves, formerly of EULEX, and UK academic commentators, to the effect that the author is setting mission success criteria too high. However, subsequent events such as the widespread EULEX management and mandate changes in 2013 and 2014, and particularly the allegations of bribery of EULEX prosecutors made by the British lawyer Maria Bamieh and reported in the Guardian in November 2014, do suggest that Capussela raises legitimate questions of integrity and project management effectiveness which have major implications for future international community intervention in fragile states.