1991–2001 CE · Europe · War
The Yugoslav wars: distinct conflicts and civilian displacement
Yugoslavia’s disintegration produced several wars with different chronologies. Political mobilisation, territorial projects and organised violence shaped their course.
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One federation, several wars
Yugoslavia contained six republics; Kosovo and Vojvodina were autonomous provinces within Serbia. The conflicts unfolded unevenly: Slovenia in 1991, Croatia in 1991–1995 and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992–1995. Treating them as one continuous battlefield conceals important differences in actors, institutions and civilian experience.
Bosnia and the limits of protection
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina involved campaigns to control territory and expel populations. Srebrenica’s fall and genocide in July 1995 belong to this larger history but require their own account of victims, perpetrators and judicial findings. The linked study examines that evidence in detail.
Later conflicts
War in Kosovo in 1998–1999 and conflict in Macedonia in 2001 had distinct settings and settlements. The ICTY’s record spans crimes committed in several territories from 1991 onward. Responsibility attaches to actions and individuals; it should not be assigned indiscriminately to an entire ethnic population.