THE WAR IN BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA (1992-1995) AND ITS CAUSES

Abstract

The brutal conflicts in Bosnia-Hercegovina were the reminder of chaos and upheaval which dominated post Cold War World. The fall of  Soviet Union and resulting shifts in international security did not created  the ‘New World Order’ that was envisaged by many, rather it was a rampant security disorder that stayed for long. At the core of this has been massive increase in communal, religious and ethnic violence. Governments and people released from former Soviet rule  swept by new democratic wave began to take up slogans of nationalism. In some instance, this was peaceful arising such as split of Czechoslovakia. In other cases like Yugoslavia, Georgia and Azerbaijan nationalist sentiment exploded violently. Europe and its surroundings had not seen bloodshed of this scale since World War II. The break up of huge empires invariably resulted in periods of general political instability and intense nationalism. In remote troubled areas like Angola and Somalia where nationalism had lesser role, experts predicted outbreak of conflict. As the cold War was over these regions lost immediate strategic importance, as a result inter ethnic conflicts emerged in tribal regions. These conflicts were protracted and international community remained reluctant to intervene. An example of such conflict is Bosnia, where wide array of local and international factors resulted in conflicts. This article attempts to thoroughly examine the factors responsible for the conflict. Moreover, it also sheds light on the role played by international actors that either amplified or resolved the conflict.  For this purpose, the study adopted a qualitative approach (i.e. using the existing body of literature-books, newspapers, and journal articles to draw conclusion).

Keywords: Bosnia-Hercegovina, conflict, war, religion, political, ethnicities