This paper presents a case study on conflict management, specifically the experience of the United Nations and other International Government Organizations (IGOs) in the Yugoslav conflict. The purpose of this case study is to describe, analyze and assess a particular conflict situation with a focus on the role played by the United Nations and other IGOs in attempts to manage the conflict and addresses the following specific questions: What is the issue at stake, who are the primary and secondary participants in the conflict, and how are the U.N. and other IGOs involved?
This paper is divided in several parts. The first part provides a historical background on Yugoslavia, prior to the outbreak of the conflict in the past decade. The second part describes the specific issues at stake leading to the conflict, the primary and secondary participants, and the involvement of the IGOs and the U.N. in the conflict. The third part reviews the chronological participation of the European Community (EC), the United Nations, and the NATO, leading up to the Dayton peace agreement in 1995 between the warring factions. The fourth part summarizes the conflict management of the U.N. and the IGOs, and, finally, the fifth part provides conclusions about the methods of conflict management used, their pros and cons, and where the future lies for the former Yugoslavia.
The entire history of Yugoslavia has been one of conflict, disunity, and hate. Yugoslavia is the largest and most important part of the Balkan peninsula. Illyrians, Thracians, and Dacians in the north and Greeks in the south were the oldest known inhabitants of this area. In the first century A.D., the Romans created the province of Illyricum, encompassing most of what was later known as Yugoslavia. After the division of the Roman empire into eastern and western halves, Illyricum was divided into two parts: Illyria Graecia and Illyria Romana. This cultural division still ...