Reflections on the Balkan wars: Ten years after the break up of Yugoslavia

Abstract:

This work comes as a timely reminder of the dangers and continuing problems which arise from international intervention in a domestic conflict. It offers fresh insights into the wars of the Yugoslav succession and highlights the fact that frequently in such interventions the original perceptions are mistaken.

The book is organised in three parts. Part one groups together several contributions on 'Wars in the Balkans’. Chapter one features such topics as the lack of awareness of European leaders and their limited understanding of the issues at work. Chapter two deals with the genocide factor. The EU failure to meet its own expectations and the relationship of the wars to European integration are covered in chapter three. Outdated perceptions of national boundaries which failed to recognise the regional aspect to the conflict are discussed in chapter four. The impact of the media involvement is the focus of chapter five.

Part two places the conflict in the context of international law and organisation. Chapter six deals with the UN response to the Balkan Wars. Chapter seven explores the role of post-1945 norms, rules, and practices regarding state recognition of territorial claims in the Balkan Wars of the last decade. Chapter eight examines the Balkan Wars in the context of the International War Convention and its relevance to the trial of Milosevic. The implications of the NATO and US actions for future interventions are considered in chapter nine.

Part three draws lessons from the earlier chapters as to the way forward in the Balkans and other interventions which might arise. Chapter ten looks at Bosnia and, whilst acknowledging the successes, it also shows the limitations of such external initiatives and underlines the need to develop domestic solutions. Modern warfare is essentially one of air power, and the appropriate use of overwhelming air power is discussed in chapter eleven. The final chapter offers some signposts as to the way forward from a comparison of the intervention in Macedonia with those in the Balkans in the past decade.

The work will interest scholars, students and policy makers engaged in International Relations, Conflict Resolution and European integration.

Jeffrey S. Morton is Associate Professor of International Law and Politics in the Department of Political Science and Director of Peace Studies at Florida Atlantic University.