US ROLE IN YUGOSLAV WARS Terézia Rekšáková, Peter Koles, Kryštof Šír BSS 187/487 Main topics ¨About Yugoslav wars ¨Role of the USA in conflict management ¨Political situation in USA ¨The current role of the USA ¨Future Little intermezzo: personal experience C:\Users\Chrys\Desktop\US prezentace\Fotografie731.jpg C:\Users\Chrys\Desktop\US prezentace\12190072_10205285101392533_599644192870912386_n.jpg C:\Users\Chrys\Desktop\US prezentace\vukovar-2.jpg C:\Users\Chrys\Desktop\US prezentace\dp_2015_5025.jpg Yugoslav wars: Roots ¨Yugoslavia ¤Established after WWI ¤Multi-ethnic country ¤Different religions, languages, conflict areas … ¤ C:\Users\Chrys\Desktop\US prezentace\yugoslav_aefacb4d68.jpg C:\Users\Chrys\Desktop\US prezentace\Čuvajte_Jugoslaviju.jpg Yugoslav wars: Path into the Hell ¨Reasons: ¤Economic situation ¤Marshall Tito‘s dead nHis strong leadership suppressed nationalist ¤Nationalism ¨1990 - 14th Extraordinary Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia ¤Milošević – Serbia – more centralized ¤Croatia and Slovenia – more federalization ¨ C:\Users\Chrys\Desktop\US prezentace\9348a05efafce919c55ad033608aee8c.jpg Yugoslav wars: Different Conflicts ¨1991 - Croatia and Slovenia declaring independence ¨1991 – Ten-Day War: Slovenia x Yugoslav‘s People Army ¨1991-1995 – Croatia War of Independence ¨1992-1995 - Bosnian War ¤Karadžič – ethnic cleaning ¤Daytonon Agreement ¨1998-1999 – Kosovo War – Serbia x Albanians ¤NATO engagement! ¨ ¨ ¤ ¤ ¨ ¨ Role of the USA in conflict management: concrete historical period ¨focus - the Balkans in 90´s ¨complexity, geostrategic position, historical importance, mixture of nationalities, ethnicities, political personalities ¨former USSR, great temptation but also great problems to deal with ¨ongoing ethnic clashes resulted into serious war USA x NATO ¨leadership of the group is in the hands of the nation with the most powerful economy ¨winner of the Cold War ¨thinking of main policy advisors still in Cold War terminology ¨NATO membership first offered to FYROM and Albania – why? ¤Not developed but with desire to participate (air campaign in Kosovo) ¤Turbulent inner conditions had to be solved --- West will help with reestablishment according to its ideals before anyone else could do so ¤1991 Strategic Concept: to assure and maintain balance throughout Europe ¤Spread of Western ideology and values, new allies, historical and political importance (East – West ideological borders) ¨To assure the post-Cold War dominance the US was actually seeking for ¨ Political situation in the US ¨Change of administrations --- Clinton in the office ¨high priority on domestic policy ¨hesitancy between pragmatic moral principle connected with ethnic cleansing in Bosnia ¨Administration was opposing every plan proposed for the recovery of Yugoslavia ¨The change of presidents had obvious impact over the situation in Yugoslavia´s most turbulent territories ¤ethnically mixed citizens ¤call over ethnic or national recognition ¨empathy with the fate of citizens, who were under various types of attacks because of their ethnicity or desire to show US influence in former USSR countries VANCE-OVEN ¨UN arms embargo --- disarm all sides of the conflict ¨Hard to reach an international agreement about ethnic war; many critics ¨Main obstacles: ¤taking away guns discontent ethnic majority, but also from self-defending minority ¤Muslims in Bosnia should have surrendered and possessed no weapons for their defense against mostly Serbian aggression and ethnic cleansing ¤Difficulties with moral principles + Incoherence of international actors --- Conflict management troubles ¨Dayton agreement VANCE-OVEN ¨Its initial aim was not to end the war in Bosnia, but to look after heavy weapons on the international scene and thus reduce friction among international actors ¨Plan was than modified to stop the war, prevent Serbs from establishing contiguous territories and avoid ethnic purification ¨HOWEVER, this plan was primarily not designed for Yugoslav recovery ¤The main obstacle of application ¤New plan should have been created, obtaining main points of struggle and ideas for transformation ¤Dayton 1995 – 3 more years of war and casualties because of the lack of coherence ¨ Conflict management critical points ¨Key results concerning the end of Bosnian war would have arrived earlier in time, if major contributing states would have acted differently than the way they actually did ¨Approach of the USA as major power --- confusion within international actors ¨Reluctance of Clinton´s Administration towards the use of force ¤Change in administrations during most critical period of Bosnian civil war ¤Against ethnic cleansing as well as weapons embargo, at the same time as he was new in the presidency and focused primarily on domestic development ¨Resulted into UK – France cooperation in air forces, under the management of the US ¤Preserve a chief position in decision making ¨Example of great ambitions, but the frailty of common policy and an absence of common understanding The current role of the US ¨US less dominant than in 1990’s ¨The role of the leader was overtaken by the EU ¨US still engaged ¤NATO ¤Financial aid ¨„We will continue to stand with you as you persue your European future togather“ Mike Pence, august 2017 FUTURE ¨Strategic importance of the region for the EU and US ¨Challenges for the region ¤ spillover of the conflicts in North Africa, Middle East ¤ propaganda and radicalization ¤ migration crisis ¤Russian influence ¨Cooperation with the EU ¨ ¨ THANK YOU ¨For ATTENTION! ¨J