War+in+Bosnia-Herzegovina,+1992-1995

Home Small War Project Assignment Small Wars Topics

April 1992 - December 1995: War in Bosnia-Herzegovina Michael M and Shea S
 * [[image:buchholtzsidoramericanstudies/Adriatic-Sea1[1].jpg width="330" height="338"]] || [[image:buchholtzsidoramericanstudies/300px-Operation_storm_map[1].jpg]] ||
 * [[image:buchholtzsidoramericanstudies/GetBinary.ashx.jpeg caption="Serb Rally 1989"]] || [[image:buchholtzsidoramericanstudies/dayton3[1].gif width="395" height="222" align="left" caption="1995, Dayton Peace Agreement signed, ending war in former Yugoslavia."]] ||

http://www.apimages.com/Search.aspx?st=k&remem=x&kw=Slobodan+Milosevic&intv=None

Tasks I: Explain the nature and scope of the conflict.-- Due Friday, November 18th

After the collapse of Communism, Yugoslavia was without a strong ally. The Serbs saw this as an opportunity to gain power. Croatia and Slovenia began to declare independence in 1991; Slovenia was successful while Croatia was not. “ Croatia which declared independence at the same time face a tougher exit. Because Croatia had a sizable Serb minority and a picturesque and lucrative coastline, The Yugoslav National Army refused to let it go” (247 Power). The Serbs and the Serbian-dominated Yugoslav Army were under the control of their Serbian president, Slobodan Milosevic, incited a war with aggression to spread Serbian control which wouldn’t be resolved until 1995 (Encyclopedia Britannica). The Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity stated, “At the beginning of April 1992, Serb forces swept through much of Bosnia and Herzegovina, systematically brutalizing and expelling non-Serbs, particularly Bosnian Muslims in a campaign of terror. In the process the term “ethnic cleansing” was created to encapsulate the brutality of a conflict in which the principle aim was to erase all traces of a culture (125 Bennett). The problem was the differences in cultures. This area is filled with many different nationalities that all have different beliefs, religions, and way of life. The Serbs were creating genocide through their "ethnic cleansing" as they murdered non-Serbs while seizing territory. Slobodan Milosevic hoped to create a greater Serbia by seizing land and spreading Serbian culture. The Serbs ended up controlling about 70% of the nation's territory (American Government, research database). The Genocide Convention is what pushed the United States into this war. The interest in war was based purely on humanitarian reasons. After the Holocaust, The United States and other members of the UN, signed the Genocide Convention as a way to promise to never let genocide happen again. "It marked the first time the United Nations had adopted a Human rights treaty" (60 Power). When the Serbs began killing other nationalities the United States couldn't just sit by and let it happen, so when Clinton took office he continued to press NATO to intervene in the war. The problem was solved when NATO entered the war and fought until peace negotiations were met. In November 1995, leaders from Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia signed a peace treaty called the Dayton Agreement that ended the fighting in this region. After this a single Bosnian state was established that was divided into two parts, one for individual ethnic groups and return of refugees and the other for holding elections in Bosnia.

Works Cited Bennett, Christopher Michael. //Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity//. Ed. Dinah L Shelton. Volume 1 ed. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. “Bosnia and Herzegovina.” //Encyclopedia Britannica//. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. . “Bosnian Intervention.” //American Government//. MARC Records, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. . Power, Samantha. //A Problem From Hell//. N.p.: Perennial-HarperCollinsPublisher, n.d. Print.

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1999070900&type=query&num=bosnia+and+herzegovina& http://languages.oberlin.edu/ethn209/war/tag/serbia/

Task II: Analyze the U.S.’s involvement in the conflict.- Due Tuesday, November 22nd Out of Max Boot's categories, Protection is the just reason for getting into this small war. There always needs to be a just cause for going to war, as well as right intentions. This is a situation where both applied. The Untied States entered with the right intention of saving the lives of those being abused by the Serbs and had the just cause of saving innocent lives."…Innocent life must be in imminent danger and intervention must be to protect life" (Criteria of a Just War). Out of the other categories this one seemed to fit best because it included characteristics of a just war that covered the reasons why the United States decided to go to war. Slobodan Milosevic was the important decision-maker for the belligerents in this war. He was the Serbian President who had a vision of a “greater Serbia”. Slobodan Milosevic created genocide when he began pressing Serbian aggression in order to gain power. “But in June of that year, when Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic began to stoke nationalist flames and increase Serb dominance…” (247, Power). Milosevic had strong influence during the progress of this war through “ethnic cleansing” by eliminating non-Serbs across the country. This “ethnic cleansing” killed millions of people by the end of the war. Bill Clinton was elected President at the start of this war. His reasons for going to war were humanitarian. Clinton used the Genocide Convention to help persuade NATO into joining this war. The Genocide Convention was signed by the members of the UN as a treaty to end genocide. “…and in December 1948 his efforts gave way to the adoption of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, which came into effect in January 1951. Although most commonly used to describe the Holocaust, the term has also been applied to the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks (1915–20), of the Tutsis by Hutus in Rwanda (1994), and of Bosnian Muslims by Serbs in the former Yugoslavia (1992–95)” (Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia). The Genocide Convention is a doctrine that best fits the characteristics of this war because it was created to put an end to genocide. It is also the doctrine that influenced the United States into entering this small war. This serves as a precedent or act that helped the United States make their decision, although it is said we came four years too late, when NATO entered the war they fought until negotiations were met and ended the fighting within a year (eLibrary).

Works Cited “Bosnia.” //eLibrary//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. . //Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia//. N.p.: Helicon Publishing, 2005. N. pag. //eLibrary Academic///‌//Public Library//. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. Power, Samantha. //A Problem From Hell//. New York: Perennial, 2003. Print.

TASK III: How did United States' Public view this conflict? Due Tuesday, Noevmber 29th The war in Bosnia was controversial among Americans because there was only partial support from the citizens. Many Americans supported air strikes in Bosnia, but they didn’t want to go in alone. The Washington Post-ABC news poll stated, “ Would you support or oppose the United States, along with its allies in Europe, carrying out air strikes against Bosnian Serb forces who are attacking the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo? Support: 60% Oppose: 34% No opinion: 6% If the European allies do not agree to participate, should the United States act alone in carrying out air strikes against Bosnian Serb forces, or not? Yes, act alone: 26% No, don't act alone: 70% No opinion: 4%”. This poll proved that when there was the option of going into this war with support Americans were all for it, but American citizens rejected the idea of going in alone against Serb forces. Not only did the americans fear to go into war against the Serbs but "former Yugoslavia, Gen. Bertrand de Lapresle of France and Lieut. Gen. Sir Michael Rose of Britain, had also opposed the NATO air strikes, arguing that they would turn the Serbs against the peacekeepers, force the United Nations to end its operations and prolong the war" (NYT). they believed that if we attacket that this would make the serbs mad at the good people. U.N. Mediator was also very "afraid, timid and tentative" (NYT) about air striking the Serbs. The publics opinion was extremely important during this war because it gave the United States the support they needed in order to help end the Bosnian war conflict. If the government didn’t have support from the people of the United States the intervention in Bosnia wouldn’t have been possible. President Clinton stated, “ The key to global stability lies in the international community's willingness to take responsibility for it”. Many American citizens understood the humanitarian reasons for wanting to enter into this war and were willing to take responsibility and help out by lending their support.

Works Cited “Foreign Policy Burden.” //American Government//. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. “United Nations At 50.” //Library.cqpress//. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. . “U.S Views on Bosnia.” //cqresearcher//. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. . []

Task IV: Did the U.S. achieve its goals? -- Due Friday, December 2nd The Bosnia-Herzegovina war ended when NATO intervened in it. “NATO fostered negotiations intended to bring peace to the former Yugoslavia” (American Government). When the leaders of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia signed the peace treaty, the Dayton Agreement, the fighting ended in this region. Success was measured with the creation of a single Bosnian state divided into two regions. These two parts were assigned territories for each ethnic group as well as returning refugees, and the other was for holding elections. This agreement was bounded Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and other parts of Yugoslavia to respect each other and respect human rights. The outcome of this war called for 60,000 NATO troops that included 20,000 Americans to act as peacekeepers. They also had to make sure the Dayton Agreement was being followed. After the war even though this area was more unified, many Serbs were still only loyal to themselves. “the majority of Bosnian Serbs still believed their future lay with Serbia and not in the Union with the Federation” (Britannica).

•Were the U.S. decision makers and military leaders praised or vilified?

Works Cited “Bosnia War.” //Britannica//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. . “Dayton Agreement .” //American Government//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://americangovernment.abc-clio.com/‌Search/‌Display/‌318438?terms=dayton+agreement>.

Draw your information from a minimum of **three** LC e-books and databases--at least **one** primary source and **two** expert opinions. Organize your response in one or two extended power paragraphs. In an appositive phrase, establish the credibility of the source the first time you reference it. Internally cite sources and place the works cited at below the last paragraph for Task III.

<span style="display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">** Rubric for Small War Wiki: ** <span style="display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">•Answers to project questions are accurate and complete. •Information and expert opinion are selected from the **required** LC resources and are cited accurately with the credibility precisely stated. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">·Maps, banners and photos are caption and cited. •Project questions are answered fully in extended power paragraphs.spelling •Writing is edited for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.
 * Works cited follow each task