The Case Of Nationalism In Bosnia Herzegovina Politics Essay

The Case Of Nationalism In Bosnia Herzegovina Politics actThis essay leave behind be focusing on the pagan impinge that erupted predominantly in Eastern Europe as a way out of the dissolution of the Socialist Federative res publica of Yugoslavia in the late 20th century. solicitude will be given specific every last(predicate)y to Bosnia Herzegovina (Bosnia) to illustrate the on pass effects of cultural re chief(prenominal)ders that continue and how autonomy was sought by the Bosnian Muslims in reaction to the strong patriotism expressed by the Serbians and Croats during that time. The office surrounding Bosnia is a valid example of contemporary patriotism, and as a nation it continues to face pagan booking and conquest and the threat of warf be and domination by the Serbians, who still seek a unified Slavonic enjoin.In prizeing Bosnia, this essay will firstly define nationalism and assess how Bosnia brush aside be looked at as an example of both ethnic and civil n ationalism. A brief interpretation will excessively be given to what is meant by ethnic involution before looking specifically at the causes of the reddentual collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia) and how this later gave birth to several new nations, including Bosnia. Focus will then pervert solely to Bosnia and at the key issues that take to the out rise of ethnic conflict and the full of nationalism inside the nation and furtherto a greater extent, which ethnic multitudes were involved and what their motives were. Conclusions will then be drawn as to the stability of Bosnia in the indicate day and why it can be used as a case study to demonstrate the happenings of both contemporary nationalism and of ethnic conflict.To begin with this examination into Bosnia, it is firstly important to set out the parameters of what is meant when i refers to ethnic conflict, the ideology of nationalism and more specifically the further distinctions make b etween ethnic and civic nationalism. For the purposes of this essay, the idea of nationalism occurring at bottom or against a evince is defined as a group of citizenry who see themselves as distinct in their culture, history, institutions, or principles and should then chance themselves in a political system that expresses and protects those distinctive characteristics.1Quite simply, it can be looked at as a category of practices as an charge cultural and political form with the aim of building a nation.2 heathen or Eastern nationalism is a run aground of nationalism that places more emphasis on the creation of a state based on common cultural, religious and linguistic traditions and generally occurred against an existing state contend to within it.3Conversely, civic or Western nationalism appe ard to encase a more sophisticated demeanor and was based on the ideals of various(prenominal) indecorum4and political ideals with membership to that state being defined purely in po litical terms.5As this essay will later purport to put d profess in its discussion, Bosnia identifies with several get outs of the ethnic chauvinistic ideology, however it in addition shares commonalities with civic nationalism, particularly in certain areas of Bosnia where in that respect are withdraw political institutions set up to bring order and civility to those areas. pagan conflict refers to the struggle between mobilized identicalness groups for greater power, whether for equality within an existing state or for the establishment of a fully individual nation.6It should be n onenessd that the collapse of states is more often than not, the cause of ethnic conflicts opposed to the ending.7In this instance, the dissolution of Yugoslavia as a multination state resulted in the re-emergence of more than older historical identities, religions and ethnicities being used as a mechanism and foundation on which to base a nations claim to autonomy.8Consequently, conflict bega n to erupt between those who were dedicated to the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity, versus those who clung to their ethnic and religious roots as a means to define an individual state.9A more in depth analysis will be given to the role of ethnic conflict and its causal link to the rise of nationalism in Bosnia at a later point in this essay. To understand the relevance of these terms that run through now been interpreted, a brief overview mustiness be given of the collapse of Yugoslavia and the birth of Bosnia as an unornamentedlance state near the end of the twentieth century.The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia) emerged in 1943 and comprised of six socialist republics. Those republics were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Serbia, in addition, included two free provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo. During this period, Josip Tito began his reign as Prime Minister of Yugoslavia and in 1953 h e became the chairperson of the state.10It has been said that Tito was the chief architect of the second Yugoslavia11, as he was diametrical to the development and birth of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Tito instigated the ideology of socialist economy throughout Yugoslavia and aft(prenominal) the commencement of World War Two in 1945, Yugoslavia became victim to peculiarly harsh Communist system.12For several decades during the mid twentieth century, Yugoslavia enjoyed economic success and prospered as a nation. In the xix sixties, Yugoslavia could splash an annual gross domestic product growth of approximately 6.1 percent, with free medical care, and a literacy rate of 91%.13Yugoslavia remained at this point in time, the most diverse collectivity of societies in the Balkan region.14Political reform began to lose pulse in the early nineteen seventies and was suddenly pushed aside within the pluralist multi-nation in favour of federalization.15The push for fede ralization came as a ultraconservative sweat to the growing Serbian supremacy in Yugoslavia as Tito cognise he needed to enforce institutional innovations that would federalize the federation.16By the nineteen eighties, Yugoslavias once growing economy began to hinder as the international welkin was changing from a bipolar sphere to the dominance of the United States of the States as a unilateral mega power. in that location was a growing list of foreign debt and increasing centers of Yugoslavias GDP were being swallowed by debt servicing. There was also a sudden decrease in Western aid after the Soviet President Gorbachev began to admit defeat to the American and Western Europe.17On May 4th 1980, Tito passed away and with this, the strong socialist regime of Yugoslavia began to weary d testify and the process of democratization in the six republics started to ensue. As a result, central state authority became increasingly weaker, and Yugoslavia faced an upsurge of nationali st movements and anarchy.18Titos 1974 constitution remained in force during the immediate period after his stopping point and this allowed for a rotation system out of the eight leaders of the republics, for course long presidencies. These short terms of presidencies turned out to be super ineffective and added to the unstable and increasingly volatile conditions of Yugoslavia. Essentially it left unmortgaged a power vacuum with Slobodan miloevi gaining steady momentum from the legion(predicate) Serbian nationalists who resided throughout Yugoslavia and particularly within Bosnia Herzegovenia.19Miloevi began rallying to the numerous Serbian supporters he had, making reference to Yugoslavias historical past and the urgent need to unite all the Slavic nations into iodin centralized governing body and brotherhood.20As a reaction to the strong nationalist Serbian movement occurring within Yugoslavia, both Croatia and Slovenia quickly advanced autonomy and independence of state and after a victorious week of fighting by the Slovenes in the Ten Day War the breakup of Yugoslavia had begun.21In 1992, the multi-nation state of Yugoslavia began to break apart and left several nations fighting for autonomy. Instead of these nations clinging to Western all-embracing democratic ideals to form a state, they fell back on their own older and entrenched religions, ethnicities and national identities to assert independence over one another.22Bosnia, compiled of the Croats, Serbs and Bosnian Muslims, was suddenly facing an internal clash of cultures and identities with the Serbians residing in Bosnia deficient to unify with Serbia and the other stay Slavic nations, against the Croats and Muslims who wanted independence as a state.There were several factors that contributed to the tensions and ethnic conflicts between the three main ethnic groups residing in Bosnia. Firstly, there were historical hostilities and antagonisms that had existed within the ethnic groups fo r centuries. There was also the sudden presence and dominance of Serbian nationalist Miloevi, who proceed to pursue Bosnia as a Slavic nation and part of that sanctity. To add to the fragility of the situation facing Bosnia during the early nineteen nineties, there was an inadequate political institution in place with Bosnias parliament fragment based on ethnicity and was divide into a majority Bosnian gang and minority Serb and Croat factions.23In 1991, Radovan Karadi, the nationalist leader of the Serb Democratic Party, gave a strong and hostile warning to the Bosnian president, statingThis, what you are doing, is not good. This is the lane that you want to take Bosnia and Herzegovina on, the same highway of hell and death that Slovenia and Croatia went on. Dont mobilise that you wont take Bosnia and Herzegovina into hell, and the Muslim deal maybe into extinction. Because the Muslim people cannot defend themselves if there is war here.24Bosnia was surrounded by two fantas tically powerful and nationalistic states Croatia and Serbia who both extended equal rights and citizenships to the Croat and Serb Bosnians. Therefore, it was impossible for Bosnia to firmness of purpose its national identity without the input of Croatia and Serbia.25One the one side in Bosnia, there were the Serbian nationalists who identified closely with Milosevic and their greater homeland of Serbia and thus wanted a unified Slavic state, and to be part of the brotherhood. Others however, such(prenominal) as the Croats and particularly the Bosnian Muslims, wanted to identify with their own individual ethnic groups and stick to the notion of individual opposed to collective rights and the immunity to identify with whom they choose. With Bosnias demographic structure comprising a cosmos of Serbs and Croats of approximately 50%, and with ideas on independence resting with the ethnicities rather than the nation on the whole26, apply of territory once again became open to interp retation, particularly due to the pluralist and multi-culture temperament that existed within Bosnia which led to macroscopic sections of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia under dispute as to its tight-laced ownership.27In October 1991, Bosnia joined Croatia and Slovenia in declaring its sovereignty and quickly organized a referendum on independence in March 1992.28The general Serbian population residing in Bosnia was encouraged by the Serbian nationalists to boycott the referendum and subsequently, the turnout in the referendum was 64-67% and the vote was 98% in favor of independence.29Independence was however officially declared on March 5 1992 by the parliament of Bosnia. However, this scarcely added and even encouraged the continued surge of nationalism from the Serbs in Bosnia and pulse war broke out in Bosnia between the different ethnicities and much to the detriment of the Bosnian Muslims who although made up an estimated 48%30of the population, were ill provide to stand up to the strong Serbian forces who were receiving support from their own nation.A period of genocide, ethnic cleansing and blood shed occurred over the close three years and was the tragic consequence of the Bosnian War that illustrated a series of failures made by the Western world at large and also at a regional level, the failures of local leaders to come in and offer any sort of assistance.31There was a fundamental intermission of human rights during this period and a total disregard for any triumph of law or civility. Whilst the Serb Bosnians engaged in a greater amount of ethnic cleansing during this period of trauma, it should be noted that they were also the victims of such cleansing at the peril of the other two ethnic groups.32The Bosnian Muslims had really pushed to preserve Bosnias existence as a multi-cultural state33and did not want to see the division of Bosnia. Only a scarce minority of politically significant actors in Bosnia were committed to trying to mediate a balance between a civil society and competing nationalisms.34November 1995 brought some foretaste to the Bosnian cause when the Dayton Accord was signed, purporting to end the Bosnian War and the continued outbreaks of conflict in the region.35The Dayton Accord had the purpose of compromising between the ethnic groups who sought an independent unitary state, versus those who sought total autonomy from Yugoslavia and the Slavic nations.36The institutional part of the agreement created a Bosnian state divided between Bosnia, which is shared between the Bosnians and the Croats, and the Republika Srpska. The Bosnian-Croat federation holds 51% of the territory with the remaining 49% controlled by the Republika Srpska.37Each division has their own parliament and presidency. cardinal years has passed since the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accord which effectively ended a great proportion of the ethnic conflict and cleansing occurring in Bosnia as a result of the Bosnian War. However , in a contemporary setting, nationalism and consequently ethnic conflict still pursues in Bosnia and there are mounting fears by the United Nations and the international community, that war is still a threat to the Bosnians due to the divided and single out nature of Bosnia.38With the Dayton Accord dividing Bosnia into a Muslim -Croat federation and a Serbian republic, distributively ethnic group has established their own legislature with ten regional authorities each with their own police force, health system, education system and judiciary.39Furthermore as a result of the Bosnian War and the division of Bosnia, there is a huge displaced population of Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Serbs who were essentially driven out of Bosnia and are now scattered throughout the world with little national identity left in tact.In conclusion, the situation that occurred in Bosnia during the late twentieth century exemplifies the pivotal role nationalism played within the state and the consequenti al ethnic conflict that erupted and continues to do so, as a result of three different ethnic groups identifying strongly to their own historical nationalisms and religions. imputable to the strong nationalistic tendencies of the Croats and Serbs residing in Bosnia during this time, Bosnian Muslims who historically were not allowed to declare themselves as Bosnians40were forced to band together and unite in their own autonomy and form a national identity so as to compete with the much stronger Croats and Serbs. As a result of these competing nationalism, ethnic conflict ensued and was only resolved after the implementation of the Dayton Accord which effectively segregated Bosnia into different regions dominated by different ethnicities. For example, the city of Mostar before the Bosnian War was considered the most ethnically integrated city in all of the former Yugoslavia. 41Now, Mostar has developed into the most divided town in Bosnia where even a pizza owny joint will not delive r to the Muslim sector of Mostar across the bridge. This is viewed as a victory for the Croat and Serb Nationalists against the Bosnian Muslims.42The on-going situation in Bosnia Herzegovina really demonstrates a contemporary example of nationalism occurring and further shows the severe impact nationalism has had on the country and how it led to the eventual segregation of the nation as well as pursuant(predicate) ethnic conflict. Whilst the nationalism portrayed by the Serbs and Croats mostly identifies with the ethnic strand of nationalism, that is nationalism founded on historical ethnicities, customs and religions, it is interesting to note that Bosnia Herzegovina as a whole, and particularly through the Bosnian Muslims, share many elements of civic nationalism in its attempt to set up order, democracy, and political institutions. by chance the conflict of the two nationalisms also contributed to the volatile nature and confusion that seems to obscure over Bosnia. Whilst it is idealistic and perhaps nave to hope that Bosnia will one day have unity as an independent state, it is still a vision that many civilians in Bosnia and around the world share. Bosnia has provided the global field of operation with a strong message and precedent and demonstrates a situation that must be learnt from especially in the overall dangers and effects that competing nationalisms can have on even the most harmonious nations.