War In Bosnia Research Articles

Could a “body fragmentation index” be useful in reconstructing events prior to burial: Case studies of selected primary and secondary mass graves from eastern Bosnia

This study analyses variable levels of body fragmentation among secondary mass grave sites with similar formation process history. The study is based on data from 10 commingled secondary mass grave sites and two primary sites related to the war in Bosnia in 1995. The aim was to investigate differences in level of body fragmentation between mass graves of similar origin and taphonomy. In order to quantify the degree of fragmentation (and level of commingling) within a grave, we introduced a fragmentation index (FI). FI represents the ratio between the number of complete bodies and number of body parts from the same context. Results show high discrepancies in body fragmentations between different sites. FI for secondary sites of similar formation history varied from 0.01 to 0.59 (max=1), while two primary sites have values 0.92 and 0.90 respectively. Variable levels of fragmentation among similar secondary sites suggest a possibility of different peri mortem circumstances of buried, so we tested whether the "body fragmentation index" could assist in elucidating the manner of death. Unusually high levels of body fragmentation (FI value below 0.1) in some secondary sites may indicate that body disarticulation was most likely caused peri-mortem by explosives, land mines, mortars or tank fire, all suggesting a combat situation.

A Georgia Civil War Film with a Bosnian War Subtext: The Case of John Frankenheimer's Andersonville

:Director John Frankenheimer, in crafting his 1996 TV movie Andersonville, a dramatization of life at the notorious Confederate prisoner‐of‐war camp from the American Civil War, was influenced by images of the Bosnian Serbs’ “ethnic cleansing” concentration camps from the Bosnian War.

The Srebrenica Exhibition

In February 2017, an exhibition was opened in Srebrenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina) telling the story of the Bosnian war (1992-1995) and the Srebrenica genocide (1995). In this article we describe how the exhibition was designed and we reflect on the impact of the exhibition on the processes of restorative justice and social reconstruction. Leading question is: Does the exhibition successfully construct a shared sense of truth about the Srebrenica genocide? This evaluative question demands insight in the concept of truth and, more specific, in the debate about plural truths and multiple narratives. En febrero de 2017, se inauguró en Srebrenica (Bosnia-Herzegovina) una exposición que narraba la historia de la Guerra de Bosnia (1992-1995) y el genocidio de Srebrenica (1995). En este artículo, describimos cómo se diseñó la exposición, y reflexionamos sobre el impacto de la exposición en los procesos de justicia restaurativa y reconstrucción social. La pregunta que nos guía es: ¿Consigue la exposición construir un sentido compartido de verdad sobre el genocidio de Srebrenica? Esta pregunta evaluativa exige indagar en el concepto de verdad y, más específicamente, en el debate sobre pluralidad de verdades y multiplicidad de narrativas.

Determinacija neprijatelja u direktivama Glavnog štaba i Vrhovne komande Vojske Republike Srpske

Among the numerous open questions of contemporary historiography regarding the breakdown of Yugoslavia and its consequences, the issues connected to the post-Yugoslav wars still cause the most disputes. Even in the case of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, waged from 1992 to 1995, all of the important questions concerning its causes, character and consequences, are still considered open, whereby the dubious interpretative discourses are often constructed on the basis of an approach which is founded on the narrowing of the jointly observed historical phenomena. The attempts to construct and legitimize the corresponding particular interpretations of the character of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina through a narrow and selective approach applied in the identifications of the warring sides and their mutual relations are not rare. In such situations the most reliable methodological approach in the framework of historical science is to return the focus from the level of interpretation to the historical sources, their analysis, determining the authenticity and relevance for the collection of issues in question. In this work we will dedicate our attention to the directives of the Main Headquarters and the High Command of the Army of Republic of Srpska issued during 1992-1995 in those parts in which these documents perform the identification and determination of the enemy.

War Schools: teaching innovations implemented across makeshift educational spaces during the military siege of Sarajevo

ABSTRACT Educational practices that developed under the conditions of the military siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War (1992 – 1995) are examined. Analyses of interviews with teachers and students are juxtaposed with archival documentation to reveal the mode of educational activities and the structure of the curriculum implemented. By exploring how different conceptualisations of space and time rendered by the condition of the siege prefigure different human activities, the development of educational infrastructures across the besieged city are traced chronologically. The analyses highlight two educational forms: War Schools a network of makeshift mixed-age underground classrooms and Radio School daily educational broadcasts—together with the curricular innovations they engendered. Departing from a focus on individual outcomes such as deficits, trauma, and aggressive behaviours, this work instead argues that collective educational activities have the ability to constructively mediate threatening external circumstances and support young people’s psychological capacities even during the times of crisis.

Umoljani Village on Bjelašnica: Life in the Way of Sustainability

Bjelasnica Mountain occupies a central place in the geographical area of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to this fact, its altitude (2067 m), it is the border between Bosnia, on the one hand, and Herzegovina, on the other, and the border between the changed mediterranean and continental climates (while Bjelasnica itself has a mountainous to alpine climate). Due to these natural inputs, Bjelasnica is a „rain and snow catcher“, and because of its geological structure (mostly limestone), it is also the largest reservoir of water in B&H. That is why Bjelasnica is considered to be the „mother of B&H“, since at its base there are springs of two of the most important rivers in B&H (Bosnia and Neretva), and on its own (plateau of Bjelasnica) a large number of springs, watercourses, permanent lakes and bars. Natural conditions have been a magnet for inhabiting the Bjelasnica plateau, from prehistory to the present. Due to its specific natural values, in a combination of favorable social environment, Bjelasnica (with Jahorina, Trebevic and the city of Sarajevo itself) hosted the 14th Winter Olympic Games (1984) and subsequently hosted several FIS-races.
 The Umoljani village (geographical coordinates: 43° 40' 12.81'' N, 18° 13' 41.39'' E, about 1333 meters above sea level) is located on the southern slope of Bjelasnica mountain, in a gentle plain. The village belongs to the municipality of Trnovo (it is about 16.3 km away from Trnovo by air, 23 km from Sarajevo). Due to the abundance of natural resources (water, arable land, meadows, pastures, forests), the area of the Umoljani is constantly inhabited, from prehistory to the present. The presence of people in this area is evidenced by many cultural and historical monuments: antique hillforts, medieval necropolis of tombstones (stećci), remains of a medieval church, necropolis from the ottoman conquest and one of the oldest mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Until the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1991-1995), the village lived in a more or less traditional way, within its traditional physical structure. During the war the village was flooded and its population was exiled. After the war, the village was quickly rebuilt, but in the changed socio-economic circumstances, and with architectural structures that in all respects reflect modern life. It is of the importance that the katun settlement (Gradina) above the village with traditional architectural objects is preserved, as a picture of the former Umoljani village.
 The Umoljani village is an exemplary study of the metamorphosis of settlements (driven by the changing social environment), in the rich natural environment where they continue to live, partly in the traditional way, and partly in the modern way, that is, in the way of sustainability.

The Essence of Analogy: Conflict Termination and State-building Lessons from Bosnia-Herzegovina to Syria

Abstract From the perspective of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) today, the legacy of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) remains mixed. The dominant view is that the DPA is the origin of its political impasse, economic stagnation, and failed nation-building. Yet, it is indisputable that DPA has been successful in preventing the recurrence of a major violent ethnic conflict in BiH. More recently, the failures of Syrian peace talks to yield a durable settlement have evoked the lessons from the DPA. However, most analyses have concluded the parallels with the Bosnian war and its resolution are misplaced given the complexity and severity of the war in Syria. This article argues for a more nuanced approach to distilling the Dayton legacy, particularly when it is employed as a historical analogy. It highlights the usefulness of the DPA as an analogy for successful conflict termination, while offering lessons about the pitfalls of externally imposed consociational arrangements.

The paradigm shift in war reporting: the rise of journalism of attachment. A case study of the Bosnia war of 1992

Journalism of attachment; defined by its founder, Dr. Martin Bell as “journalism that knows and cares” (Bell, 1998, pp.63) is one of the subjective methods of war reporting. The elements of journalism of attachment are totally opposite of objectivity, truthfulness, accuracy, transparency and impartiality; aspects that are considered guiding principles of journalism as a profession. Despite this, journalism of attachment argues that it provides the “naked truth in warzones”, a characteristic that lacks in bystander journalism; as it is restricted by the code of ethics that govern it (Bell, 1998). Using qualitative research design, this study determined the paradigm shift in war reporting in line with the emergence of journalism of attachment. Content analysis was performed on all new reports of the Bosnia war of 1992 as reported by Dr. Bell. His interviews from 1992 to date as well as two of his books; “In Harm’s Way; Reflection of a war zone thug (1997)” and “Through Gates of Fire; A Journey into World Disorder (2003)”; were also analysed. The findings indicated that Dr. Bell’s use of journalism of attachment in the coverage of the Bosnia war steered debates among academics as well as professions in the journalism industry. It thus created a paradigm shift in subjective reporting based on the debates for and those against the practice of journalism of attachment in war reporting. The study therefore concluded that there is need for academics, critiques and professionals in the journalism industry to find a way to balance both aspects of subjective reporting (emotional/ passionate reporting) and professional reporting (objectivity, neutrality, impartiality, and fairness), in the coverage of wars and conflict.

The Politicization of the Genocide Label: Genocide Rhetoric in the UN Security Council

This article examines the intersection of language, power and national interest by discussing how the UN Security Council permanent five (P5) members navigate the linguistic rhetoric of genocide in debates surrounding the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A discourse analysis methodology is adopted to ascertain how P5 member-states framed the genocide in Srebrenica through an analysis of linguistic themes and silences in council debates. This article argues that UN P5 members use language as a mechanism to frame a conflict in a particular way that aligns with their own national political interests. The article reaffirms the importance of genocide recognition, not only as a vital legal instrument, but one that has the ability to acknowledge the significance of an atrocity and an important variable in post-conflict growth and mediation.

Visions of Greater Serbia: Local Dynamics and the Prijedor Genocide

This article examines the process of genocide in the Prijedor municipality during the Bosnian civil war of the 1990s. In this article, genocide is understood as a dynamic and extraordinary phenomenon, which requires a subnational, or meso-level analysis, to capture the complexities of the case and to account for the shortcomings in the previous literature focusing mostly on the national-level. By narrowing the analysis to a more in-depth level, two explanatory factors help us understand the escalation and radicalization of violence to genocide: structural control and agency collaboration. Specifically, overwhelming political authority, territorial dominance, and a highly coordinated effort between national and local elites, brought the Greater Serbia goals to life, and accounted for the high-level of intensity and group-targeting witnessed in Prijedor.

Agonising choices: Tragedy and International Relations – a tragic vision of humanitarian intervention in the Bosnian War

AbstractTragedy is one of the oldest metaphorical lenses of International Relations. The tragic vision of politics, from Thucydides to contemporary realist theorists, lies at the core of classical realism. However, it is striking how rarely the concept of tragedy has been applied to the discourse of humanitarian intervention. This lacuna is a weakness on both the intellectual and political levels, as nowhere are clashes between competing ethical perspectives more glaring. An examination of the concept of tragedy, as conceived from its Greek origins, can illuminate an understanding of the morally contradictory imperatives created by armed intervention. Using the Bosnian War as a case study, Greek classical tragedy provides a framework to grasp the agonising choices and insoluble ethical dilemmas brought about by humanitarian intervention, in contrast to mere narratives of salvation. The argument conveyed in this article seeks to reconcile a tragic vision with the idea of progress and political action. It concludes by suggesting that the fundamental lessons that lie at the heart of tragedy should be associated with another major concept in Greek culture, namely, the Aristotelian idea ofphronesisor ‘practical wisdom’.

Elusive Better Future: Identity Crisis Among Immigrants in Yesterday’s People

Reminiscences of the past and melancholic feelings have often been present in the literature of the diaspora, which illustrates the fact that the life of an immigrant has never been easy since s/he has to deal with many unfavourable circumstances. Immigrant identity cannot remain exactly the same after arrival in a new cultural milieu. Elements of the original identity may be lost or transformed into new forms. Old selves cannot be completely assimilated into the new cultural pattern. Apart from this, there are other obstacles, which are presented in a symbolic way in Goran Simić’s collection of short stories Yesterday’s People. This Canadian author of Serbian origin has compiled a dossier of Yugoslavian immigrants in Canada who left the country in the last decade of the twentieth century due to the horrors of the war in Bosnia. Since they emigrated in a tumultuous social climate when the foundations of the old cultural identity had been destabilized and called into question, they cannot deal in a productive way with a new phase of their life in the diaspora and find their purpose at the moment . Similarly, to his protagonists, Goran Simić was affected by the Bosnian conflict, but he has succeeded in reshaping himself in his new surroundings, reworking his memories in a creative way and integrating into Canadian literature as a writer. However, scarred and traumatized yesterday’s people in his stories cannot grapple successfully with the existential problems and their identity crises, and they are constantly wedged between the haunting past and the elusively better future. The aim of this paper is to discuss the possible problems at the “meeting point” between the discourses and practices which shaped immigrants’ identity in their native land and the processes which construct them as subjects in the present, by relying on Stuart Hall’s theoretical views in “Who needs an Identity”.

THE BOSNIAN ISLAMIC COMMUNITY AND ITS POSITION ON INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE, INTERNATIONAL LAW, AND THE NATURE OF BOSNIAN SOCIETY

This essay presents and discusses The Platform of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina for Dialogue (2006), a programmatic document of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its first section sets out basic principles for Bosnian Muslim participants in inter-religious dialogue on religious diversity and coexistence. The second one deals with inter-ethnic and international relations, human rights, and violence. The third section highlights the Bosnian Muslim perspective on the 1991-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the post-war restoration of a pluralist society. The Platform offers a rare but clear statement of the Islamic Community’s position on dialogue and cooperation and was reasonably positively received by Christian theologians in the region.

Staging Transitory Europe. Precarious Re-enactment Variations from Le Birgit Ensemble’s ‘Memories of Sarajevo’ to Milo Rau’s ‘The Dark Ages’

In the theatre productions of the Birgit Ensemble, ‘Memories of Sarajevo’ (2017) and Milo Rau’s ‘The Dark Ages’ (2015), the Bosnian war becomes the starting point for a far-reaching reflection on Europe’s past and present “status quo” through the respective adapted narrative form of re-enactment. Usually understood as a realization of the past or, instead, an absent-present, by following Mathias Meiler, one sheds light on the re-enactment as a certain way of narrating a historical transition and, at the same time, problematizing this choice of ‘translation’. Thus, the different degrees of mediation between ‘unfamiliar’ and ‘familiar’, ‘present’ and ‘absent’, with the help of various theatrical means, give rise to different implications with regard to the relationship between past and present Europe.

Promoting ‘Positive Stories’ of Help and Rescue from the 1992-1995 War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. An Alternative to the Dichotomy of Guilt and Victimhood?

AbstractPublic discourses about wars and mass violence are often dominated by questions of guilt and victimhood as well as a focus on the figures of ‘perpetrators’ and ‘victims’. This can also be observed concerning the public remembrance of the 1992-1995 conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, attempts were made here to promote the memory of another war-related figure: that of the rescuer who helped people ‘from the other side’. The author analyses these attempts at remembrance in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and places them within the context of global efforts to publicly acknowledge rescuers, in particular the ‘Righteous Among the Nations’.

Diaspora as Digital Diplomatic Agents: ‘BOSNET’ and Wartime Foreign Affairs

This paper integrates a different perspective into the diaspora literature, by placing it within the frame of digital diasporas and war time engagement in actions and initiatives traditionally considered as diplomatic. We reconstruct how digital diaspora diplomacy developed during a time when the Internet was relatively new and diplomatic tools were limited due to an ongoing conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We examine BOSNET, an online epistemic community of Bosnian diaspora IT pioneers, with a shared set of normative and principled set of beliefs about the independence of their homeland, and collected, shared and spread information about what was going on in their country. We label their work as ‘policy innovation’ engagement and performativity as 'informal' behaviour, as it was unscripted, uncoded and unregulated by any written conventions or state strategies.

Response by Joy Damousi and Marilyn Lake

[Extract] It is indeed an honour that 25 years after the publication of Gender and War its enduring intellectual significance and political relevance still define the volume’s reception.1 A gendered critique of war – in the past and present – remains as vital as ever, it seems, as the wars of the twenty-first century and their aftermaths loom large in our troubled global world. We continue to see the nexus between masculinities and war writ large. Through the very language of war as well as its violence and destruction, in which various forms of heroic masculinity are still celebrated and commemorated, military conflict continues to shape gender relations and the masculinities (and sometimes femininities) of leaders and combatants. From the Gulf War, which opened the decade of the 1990s, to the Bosnian conflict, Chechen war, Afghanistan and African wars, and more recently the civil war in Syria, political leaders such as Presidents Bush, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad have asserted their authority and leadership through combat. Significantly, a new form of warfare has emerged called the ‘war on terror’, and media reports have often focused on the brutal violence promoted by organisations such as ISIS.

“The way to Dayton”: the military conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina peaceful settlement process in 1992-1995

The paper examines the preconditions for the conclusion, significance and consequences of the implementation of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement between the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Four plans for peace achievement are considered, in which the International Community had consistently sought to resolve the Bosnian conflict in 1992-1995. The process of concluding a unique international document that not only put an end to the bloody interethnic confrontation and established new foundations for relations between the three Balkan countries, but defined the principles of the constitutional order of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is examined. The authors analyze the ambiguous scientific and political assessments of the Dayton Agreement, ranging from unequivocal approval to sharp criticism, and the reasons for the success of the Dayton Process, including joining the U.S. negotiation process and ensuring compliance with NATO’s commitment to violators. The risks inherent in the Dayton Agreement in the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina are also identified. The problem of the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis of the Dayton Agreement is vital for the post-Yugoslav space. Despite the declared principle of equality of citizens, in fact, political human rights in the country directly depend on ethnicity, and public authorities are based on the principle of national representation. The sovereignty and independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina raise a number of issues, given their control by International bodies. An analysis of historical experience convincingly shows that the Dayton Accords can only be seen as a temporary mechanism for resolving the crisis and easing tensions, which has made it possible to achieve peace, end ethnic discord and lay the foundations for a democratic system in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Recognizing the effectiveness of the Dayton Agreement, the authors argue that some of its provisions do not comply with generally accepted principles of International Law, in particular, in terms of the territorial organization of the state and the formation of public authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This approach does not comply with the principle of equality of human rights, regardless of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other beliefs, national or social origin, property status, birth or other circumstances. It is also undeniable that the Dayton Accords did not resolve the interethnic conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The paper also seeks to identify ways to address the Bosnian crisis in the current situation in Ukraine, given the annexation of Crimea and the protracted military conflict in Donbas, and to determine the admissibility and potential limits of external intervention in military conflicts.

Mediji kao instrument strateške komunikacije u oružanim sukobima - Si-En-En efekat

Media, politics and public opinion are mutually conditioned social categories. Their interdependence is particularly pronounced in armed conflicts, especially in the context of armed interventions. The forum of the interaction of these phenomena is framed by the paradigm of strategic communication, which is transmitted to the public through the actions of entities identified as strategic communicators to achieve a motivating effect for reactions that are in line with communicators' interests. One of the emerging forms of strategic communication in all its forms and contents is the CNN effect. The paper contributes to the definition of the CNN effect as a broader concept than the television station, after which it was named. Furthermore, the paper analyzes the relationship between politics, the media and the public to gain public support for military intervention. The paper also provides an analysis of the CNN effect in the function of strategic communication on the example of the media use of bloodshed in the Markale market during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995, with an analysis of the US actions and effects to support the idea of military intervention.

“A Distress that Cannot Be Forgotten”

For the abstract, use this text instead: "Using the case of the Bosnian War during the 1990s, and drawing on Iris Murdoch’s philosophy, this paper develops an understanding of moral vulnerability, where one’s ability to imagine certain ways of being ethical can be transformed through the extreme violence of war and genocide. There is a vulnerability to moral injury through violence that is grounded in the way persons imagine themselves and the world. Beginning with the wartime diaries of Zlatko Dizdarević, a survivor of the Bosnian wars of the 1990s, the paper turns to different understandings of moral injury, as well as Margaret Urban Walker’s understanding of “moral vulnerability.” I argue these approaches do not capture an important dimension in Dizdarević’s witness. The paper then turns to Iris Murdoch’s philosophy to begin to articulate and account for this dimension and sketch an understanding of moral vulnerability distinct from current moral injury discourses.