Figure 1.--.
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Figure 1.--. |
Yugoslavia was formed after World War I out of several countries, principalities and renmaants of the Austro-Hungarain Empire. Almost from the beginning the union of South Slvs proved almost ungovernable. The Croats in particular objected to what they saw as efforts by the Serbs to dominate the country. The Croats even joined with the NAZIs after the World War II German invasion. After the War, Tito held the country together with brute force. After Tito died Milosivich used Serb natioanlism to gain power. When he was unable to hold Slovenia and Croatia in Yugoslavia, Milosivich set our to create a Greater Serbia. He supported Serb para-military groups to seize control of large areas of Bosnia and supress the Kosovars in Kosovo. None of the contending ethnic groups are without blame. Croat forces also carried out attricities against Sebs and Muslims in Bosnia. European countries were unable to deter him. Only the reluctant and tardy threat of Amercan force stoped Milosivich in Bosnia. The actual use of force was needed in Kosovo. In both cases the United Nations was unable to act. Even in Serbinica where the U.N. guaranted the saftey of Bosnians, in the end Dutch U.N. peace keepers were ordered to abandon the Muslims to the Serbs. Finally when the U.N. failed to act, the United States acted through NATO. About 0.2 million people are believed to have died in Bosnia as a result of the fighting and wide range of attrocities. Milosovich finally yielded to NATO pressure in Bosnia. Actual military action was required in Kosovo after the Miodovich ordered the Serbian Army to launching a campaign of virtual genocide.
Yugoslavia was formed after World War I out of several countries, principalities and renmaants of the Austro-Hungarain Empire.
Almost from the beginning the union of South Slvs proved almost ungovernable. The Croats in particular objected to what they saw as efforts by the Serbs to dominate the country.
The Croats even joined with the NAZIs after the World War II German invasion.
After the War, Tito held the country together with brute force.
After Tito died Milosivich used Serb natioanlism to gain power. When he was unable to hold Slovenia and Croatia in Yugoslavia, Milosivich set our to create a Greater Serbia.
He supported Serb para-military groups to seize control of large areas of Bosnia and supress the Kosovars in Kosovo.
None of the contending ethnic groups are without blame.
Bosnia proved to be a killingfield without prcedent in Europe since the end of World war II. None of the contending ethnic groups are without blame. The Bosnian Serbs backed by Milosivich and the Seb-dominated Yugoslav Army were especially vicious. the Croat forces also carried out attrocities against Serbs and Muslims in Bosnia. There were also Bosnian Muslim atrocities, but on a much smaller scale. The Western countries for several years were unwilling to intervene to deter Milosovich's efforts to create a Greater Serbia. The world watched the Serb asault on Sarajevo in horror. Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Olympic Winte Games. The Serbs besieged Sarajevo during 1992-95. The people of Sarajevo were predominately Muslim, although there were also non-Muslims clinging to the dream of a multi-ethnic Bosnia. About 10,000 people including many children were killed in Sarajevo before the West intervened. About 0.2 million people are believed to have died in Bosnia as a result of the fighting and wide range of attrocities. Only the reluctant and tardy threat of Amercan force stoped Milosivich in Bosnia. The actual use of force was needed in Kosovo. In both cases the United Nations was unable to act. Even in Serbinica where the U.N. guaranted the saftey of Bosnians, in the end Dutch U.N. peace keepers were ordered to abandon the Muslims to the Serbs. Finally when the U.N. failed to act, the United States acted through NATO. Milosovich finally yielded to NATO pressure in Bosnia. America and other NATO countries have been criticized with considerble validity for reacting to attrocities of unbelievable barabrity. Attrocities that fell within the scope of genocide. America and NATO acted belatedly, but they did act, in large measure to save Muslims in Bosnia. While the major criticism was how long it took America o act, one writer has pointed out that American action in Bosnia was the most robust action against genocide in American history. One study of American historical responses to genocide writes, "It did not take long to discover that the American response to the Bosnian genocide was in fact the most robust of the century. The United Srates has never in iys historyintervenbed to stop genocide and had in factrarely even made a point of condeming it as it occurred." [Power]
Actual military action was required in Kosovo after the Miodovich ordered the Serbian Army to launching a campaign of virtual genocide. Muslim fundamentalists charge that America and the West is at war with Islam. Kosovo is on of several instances where Ameruca and the West have gone to extrodinary length to save Muslim people.
Power, Samantha. A problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide (HarperPerennial). Power addresses how domestic policies have impaired America's ability to react to genocide.
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