The Yugoslavian Conflict

Yugoslavia is a country burdened by feuding sides in a war that cannot soon be resolved. The United Nations are attempting to help the situation, but until the people of Yugoslavia can come to an agreement continued warfare and heartache is inevitable.

The problems in Yugoslavia began because the country is separated into two distinct parts. The north and west parts of the country were once under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the south and the east were controlled by the Ottoman Empire. This had extreme effects on the ethnic, cultural and economic differences between the two sides. The three major religions in Yugoslavia were Greek Orthodox, Christianity, Roman Catholicism,
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Tudjman put all army units in Croatia on highest alert and ordered to shoot back if shot at. The fighting began in August 1991. After four and a half months of fighting the United Nations negotiated a precarious cease-fire, after fourteen previous failing attempts. Although Croatia was arming itself with illegal weapons such as tanks and other heavy artillery, Tudjman knew that they wouldn't stand a chance on the battlefield with the combined forces of the
JNA, Serb territorial defense units in Croatia, the local militia, and the irregular volunteers coming from Serbia. Therefore the strategic aim was a political and diplomatic victory rather than a military one. Croatia felt they still had a chance to win even though the JNA was in Croatia. They had media support from Germany if the JNA was drawn deeper into the conflict. Croatia decided to provoke the JNA by blockading barracks and cutting off communal supplies to them. It was a gamble, they were hoping to draw the JNA into offensive action and gain political, material, and military support from the outside. This plan worked and Croatia did win its independence.

The last and perhaps most famous war in Yugoslavia that needs to be discussed is the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.