Monday 11 September 2017

War in the Balkans - My Take Part III

Yugoslavia 1989 showing ethnic distribution
Trust is destroyed. Fear abounds. The Yugoslav Federation gathers in Bucherest to discuss the situation. Croatian, Slovenian and Montenegan presidents propose a solution which would give them autonomy within the federation. Milosevic and the presidents he has secured the support of, notably Kosovo and Bosnia, reject this proposal.  There is a series of meetings seeking to resolve their differences but ultimately they break down. Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro walk out on the talks declaring that the Federated Communist Party of Yugoslavia is henceforth dissolved.Since 1989Yugoslavia has allowed a degree of democracy in that new political parties are permitted. Moderate and pro democracy parties emerge. Elections are held in Slovenia and Croatia and these moderate parties are elected. Croatia and Slovenia announce that they will declare independence. On the day of the announcement Yugoslav airforce jets attack Zagreb targeting the parliament building. The President narrowly escapes his intended fate and the declaration proceeds.

There is a short 10 day war in Slovenia which ends after Milosevic concludes that Slovenia is not of great interest having fewer Serbians in its population. In Croatia conflict breaks out initiated by local Serbian militia and Serbian members of the police force. They take control of the main highway between Zagreb and the south. Their action is immediately supported by Milosivic and the Serbian dominated Yugoslav armed forces. Croatia is hamstrung by a UN agreement which has been brokered, restraining them from accessing or importing military equipment. This is an attempt to allow time for a negotiated settlement but only results in Serbian troops gaining control of about one third of the country.

1991-1995. The war continues with the Croartians slowly gaining the upper hand. Tens of thousands of both Serb and Croats are displaced. Families of mixed heritage (Serb/Croat/Bosnian) who had embraced Tito's vision of an integrated multi ethnic society are riven with conflict, neighbours turn on each other believing the propaganda of their respective leaders.Towns are razed to the ground. Zagreb, Dubrovnic, Split and Zadar are shelled. The UN plays an ineffective role but by mid 1995 Croatia has regained control over all it former territory and hostilities cease.
1995

This period also sees the fall of the Berlin wall (Novmber 1989) and the break-up of the Soviet Union.(December 1991).

And that's only part of the shit-fight. In Bosnia-Herzegovina a war rages (1992-1996) between Bosnian Serbs and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), backed by Serbia and Croatia respectively, each with aspirations to annex part of that state. The conflict becomes is three way with Croatian Serbian and Bosnian forces attacking each other until, with USA urging, Croatian and Bosnian forces unite to fight against Serbia..Massacres, ethnic cleansing, systematic rape as a strategy of both subjugation and social destruction take place. The most tragic element of the conflict is the siege of the capital, Sarajevo, where the city is totally destroyed and isolated for almost three years. 250,000 people die and two million are displaced. Milosovic maintains that he has not ordered any of this, merely spoken passionately of his vision for a Greater Serbia.

In 1995 a peace agreement is negotiated in Dayton Ohio USA and signed in Paris in December of 1995 by the Presidents of Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Dayton Accord signed 1995 - Paris
1998 ethnic distribution
Milosevic is humiliated. He becomes the President of the surviving Yugoslavia (1998-2000) and continues his mission to create an ethnically pure Serbian state. In 1998 and 1999 Serb nationals in Kosovo take action to secure Serbian dominated territory while Kosovo nationals declare independence and set up an alternative government. The Yugoslav Government, now only Serbia and Montenegro, directly intervenes to impose its control and to suppress Kosovo Albanian resistance. NATO intervenes and controversially takes direct military action against Serbian forces. the conflict ends in mid 1999. Milosovic is defeated in the elections of 2000 and steps down as president.

In 2002 Milosevic is extradited to The Hague to face charges of war crimes and genocide but dies in prison in 2006 of natural causes before his trial is completed. 

Today there is little evidence of the war. It's a topic not discussed openly. There is a small museum devoted to the attack on Zagreb in 1991, but it's in a building with no signage whereas the many other museums in Zagreb trumpet their presence proudly. Kristina tells us she has friends from all ethnic backgrounds but the one "off limits" topic is the war. It's too risky, too raw. It would risk the friendships. I am impressed by Kristina. She is one of the brave ones. She is  prepared to speak honestly about this tragic era.

Balkans 2015
So is this the truth or just another piece of propaganda? Is it too coloured by Kristina's loyalty to Croatia? Am I making presumptions by even committing these impressions to print? I am assuming there are others who have been confused by the complexity of this period and who have been affected by it. The war created a flood of refugees across the globe and sadly those families often took their troubled history with them to their new destination country. Things are pretty quiet in Croatia and the Dalmatian states nowadays. People are more concerned with issues of employment and survival. Croatia has joined the EU but remains the poor cousin and over 150,000 young people leave he country each year searching for a new life in the larger EU family.

I invite you to read a highly regarded book, "The Death of Yugoslavia" also available as a BBC five part documentary of the same name on youtube.

I apologize for any errors of fact and would welcome any feedback.

5 comments:

obat kuat jakarta said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Edi said...

Untuk memperoleh kemenangan mudah dalam permainan BandarQ dengan lebih mudah dan cepat segera dicoba menggunakan Aplikasi Bobol BandarQ.

Info Jitu
Hoki Pasti

Edi said...

Sering mengalami kekalahan dalam permainan Omaha Poker dan ingin mendapatkan kemenangan, dicoba bermain dengan menggunakan Hack Menang Judi Omaha Poker.

Trik Menang Sakong Online itu99
Situs Judi Blackjack ituGol
Trik Menang Judi Roulette ituGol
LiveChat Agen Casino Online IndoWinBola
Cheat Omaha Poker IndoWinBola
Tips Bermain Judi Blackjack IndoWinBola
Info Jitu
Koin Pulsa

jessedavis said...

"They're winners on the field, they're winner off the field. "You know, clinical trials take months of planning and months of regulatory paperwork, and it an arduous task in itself, but our ICU doctors, our nurses, our respiratory therapists, our reviewers, our administrators all have been very supportive."The study is the first small step in determining whether nitric oxide might be a useful treatment for COVID 19, but the doctors are hopeful that it might improve outcomes for those stricken with coronavirus."The main goal is to help these people," Parcha said.

In the case of an update, a specific notification to our readers is not usually necessary as a time stamp will indicate that an update Coach Outlet Clearance has occurred. The most common underlying condition cardiovascular disease was found in 54 percent of the Jordan Shoes For Sale victims.Diabetes was present in 40 percent of the patients.The median age for the 10 deaths where no underlying condition was present was 72, with ages ranging from 51 to 80. Yeezy Shoes For Sale

They're telling New Air Jordan Shoes it that they're delaying purchases because they don't know what's happening with trade Air Force 1 In Store negotiations.. "As helpful as the CARES Act is, it is very likely that the US will need a bigger boat when it comes to federal support," observed investment banker and Cornell business professor Daniel Alpert in Business Insider op ed on April 1..

He plays with his hand down in our 40 Cheap Yeezy Shoes Sale scheme. The following Monday, more bad news came: "I got the news that I am 'on hiatus' for Cheap Nike Air Force 1 two weeks for my day job, which is I produce several series for a very popular network that's based on food. Each employee was quarantined at home until those tests are returned.Austal USA, among the city's largest employers, also reported its first positive COVID 19 MK Outlet case..

HelenrThompsonb said...

If you have high blood pressure, it's a good idea to moderate your caffeine intake to about two cups of coffee per day. You can check whether you're sensitive to caffeine's blood pressure boosting effects by checking Ray Ban Sunglasses Sale your blood pressure before and Michael Kors Outlet Online within a half hour after consuming your caffeinated beverage. If it increases by 5 Cheap Air Force Ones or 10 points, you could New Yeezy Shoes be caffeine sensitive.

VERY TRANQUIL. YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW ANYTHING HAPPENED Coach Outlet Sale BUT WE KNOW THIS IS HIS LAST KNOWN ADDRESS AND WE ARE GOING Coach Handbags Clearance TO HAVE MORE. THE SUSPECT IS CHARGED WITH FIVE COUNTS OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER AND HIS NAME IS WELL KNOWN TO THE CAPITAL GAZETTE. While I feel for Ms. Klein, I can attest that this sort of Cheap Jordan Shoes For Men behavior is nothing new. I experienced it all my life, from the time I started riding the school bus when I was eight to the present time, 47 years later.