Bosnia-Herzegovina: Civil War
The Conflict
With the disintegration of the Communist bloc, the Republic of Yugoslavia deteriorated into nationalist and ethnic warfare. The various ethnic groups—including the Serbs, Croats, and Albanians—were supported by varying internal allegiances and foreign powers. Ultimately, the United Nations intervened to stop the warfare and alleged "ethnic cleansing."
Ethnic-Religious
• Conflict between Serbs (Orthodox Christians), Croats (Catholics), and Albanians (Muslims) in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia.
Political
- Serbia wanted to keep the former Yugoslavia together; Serbia had a vision of a "Greater Serbian" empire.
- Croats, Slovenians, and Albanians wanted independence.
- Europe and the United States wanted to avoid brutal ethnic warfare in Europe, and to avoid looking like they are doing nothing to protect a vulnerable people.
In 1992 television and newspaper audiences in many countries around the world saw horrific pictures of men, women and children held captive and apparently starving in Balkan concentration camps. The scenes recalled the German death camps of World War II in which millions of people died. European and U.S. diplomats attempted to understand how this could be happening again in civilized Europe. Eventually, the governments of the United States and Europe intervened with military force through the United Nations and NATO.
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