Bosnian Girl! Yugoslavia revisited

[Louis VI the Fat]

Warning: Offensive language.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Yugoslavia revisited. A recent thread made me read about that dreadful war in Yugoslavia again.

I have a thousand thoughts about it but no other subject for this thread than the question: what happened in Yugoslavia? Why wasn't it stopped?


The picture above is graffiti from UN troops stationed in Bosnia. More pictures in this blog. It makes me very angry.

-~-~-~+<o0O0o>+~-~-~- -~-~-~+<o0O0o>+~-~-~- -~-~-~+<o0O0o>+~-~-~-

Some people grew up with the Vietnam War on their televison every night. This was decisive for their view of the world for the rest of their lives. A current generation are spending their formative years with Iraq dominating the internet.

Me, I grew up with the War in Yugoslavia dominating the news. I was too young to understand all the intricacies and shades of grey of it. Yet old enough to be frustrated about the incapability of the West in the face of the barbarity of it all. Being young and idealistic, it was decisive for several of my long held beliefs, some of which the regular Backroom visitor will be familiar with: Democracy in Europe at all costs. Human rights as the first responsibility of the state. America brings peace in the face of incompetent Europeans. American is a force of good. National sovereignity ends were tyranny begins. Human rights override sovereignity. Bernard-Henri Lévy is always right. Etcetera.

I still feel personally frustrated about the war and the inability to stop it. Ethnic strife, barbarity and genocide. This is how Europe ended its dark twentieth century.