Authors

Elliot Short¹;  ¹ Zinc Network, UK

Discussion

On 1 January 2006, soldiers from across Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered to mark the official formation of a unified army; and yet, little over a decade before, these men had been each other's adversaries during the vicious conflict which left the Balkan state divided and impoverished.

This paper assesses Yugoslav efforts to build a multi-ethnic military during the socialist period, charts the developments of the armies that fought in the war, and offers a detailed account of the post-war international initiatives that led to the creation of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Drawing upon a wealth of primary sources – including interviews with leading diplomats and archival documents made available in English for the first time – this paper explores the social and political role of the Bosnian military and, in doing so, provides fresh insight into the Yugoslav Wars, statehood and national identity, and peace-building in modern European history.