Agapito, Theeex D.

2012-25158

Report Paper: Outline January 17, 2013

Bosnian War: The Unknown Holocaust Thesis Statement: At the day that I was born, the world was in turmoil because Bosnia was currently under war; the United States, along with the U.N. was trying to end this war; and people were disagreeing about what was being done about it. I. II. Introduction The War in Bosnia a. Factions involved in the war b. Cause of the war c. Significant events i. The implementation of the cleansing policy ii. The siege of Sarajevo III. The intervention of United States a. Reasons of the United States on joining the war b. Events that happened when the United States joined the war i. The massacre in Srebrenica ii. The air strikes of NATO IV. Aftermath a. Controversies about the United States involvement in the war b. Rebuilding of Bosnia V. Conclusion

Agapito, Theeex D. 2012-25158

Report Paper January 17, 2013

Bosnian War: The Unknown Holocaust Human Warfare has become a very significant part of the history of mankind. Napoleon Hill, a famous American writer, once said that war grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man. As long as there was someone who strives for money and power, then a war is inevitable. These wars could greatly affect the world; it can even change the course of history. At the day that I was born, the world was in turmoil because Bosnia was currently under war; the United States, along with the U.N. was trying to end this war; and people were disagreeing about what was being done about it. The Bosnian War was an armed conflict that happened in the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The factions involved in this war which were: Serbia, Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serbs), Herzeg-Bosnia (Bosnian Croats), and the Bosniaks (Muslims). To put it simply, the Bosnian War was fought because Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats wanted to divide the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina separately. In addition to this, Slobodan Milosevic, the Nationalist leader of Serbia, was pushing for what he called the Greater Serbia. The Greater Serbia was an ideology which has an objective to unite all the Serbs. This means that they needed to create a Serbian land which would incorporate all areas in Bosnia where Serbs have more influence. Because of this, the Bosnian Croats and the Bosniaks called for Bosnian independence, believing that if they did no action, their land will eventually be taken from them by Milosevic. (Anon, par 1) During this war, countless of innocent people were killed, tortured, and even raped. Radovan Karadzic, the president of the Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serbs), created an army

with the support of Milosevic before the war. In 1992, under Karadzic's leadership, Bosnian Serbs began a policy of "cleansing" large areas of Bosnia. This cleansing means that they would kill people in Bosnia who are not Serbs, which include Bosnian Croats and Muslims. On April 6, 1992, the Bosnian Serbs began their Siege of Sarajevo. Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was attacked by the army of Bosnian Serbs. The residents who opposed them were cut off from food, utilities, and communication. The city was then surrounded by forces of Serbs who prevented anyone from escaping. This siege lasted for a little less than four years (from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996) and more than 10,000 people died. (Anon pars. 2-3) Aside from that, many villages were destroyed and thousands of Bosnian Croats and Muslims were killed because of the cleansing throughout Bosnia. People were driven out of their homes, sent into detention camps, deported and killed. The soldiers also raped the women, believing that wat is an effective military tactic that destroyed the bond of families and communities. Countless lives were lost; the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina was in chaos. (Anon par. 3) Because there was too many innocent people are being killed, the United States decided to intervene. Since the start of war (1992), the United States never showed any initiative to end the war on Bosnia, but because of the never ending ethnic cleansing, concentration camps and massacre of hundreds of thousands of civilian, many people started to convince the U.S. government that they should be doing something. That is why in the summer of 1995, the United States finally took the leading role into ending this conflict. (Daalder par 1) Even when the U.S decided to join in the battle, the war did not end immediately. On July 1995, the Army of Bosnian Serbs under General Ratko Mladi attacked Srebrenica, an area where both sides agreed that there should have a cease-fire. Because the United Nations

Protection Force (UNPROFOR) failed to defend this area, thousands of men and women died. The massacre in Srebrenica caused the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to start air strikes that will punish the Serb forces and protect the "safe" areas. These series of air strikes started in August 30, 1995 until mid-September 1995. After this, peace-talks were started and eventually led to the signing of Dayton Agreement, which officially ended the war on December 14, 1995. (Daalder pars. 6-8) But even though the war has ended, the choice of the United States leading the war was still controversial. Some people protested in the direct involvement of the U.S. on the war in Bosnia. Some said that the peace achieved in Bosnia was not worth the dead U.S. soldiers and the budget used by the government. On November 28, 1995, amidst all this commotion, President Bill Clinton reminded the public that their goal in Bosnia is to make peace, not war. These controversies eventually subsided as the country of Bosnia tried to rebuild itself from the destruction caused by the war. (Prettyman 1) Though there are some events in history that most people do not know, I believe that these phenomena should not be forgotten. Even though most people are not aware of it, the war in Bosnia played a significant role on our history. It has affected the whole world in ways you could not imagine. It has brought chaos to the world at November 29, 1995, the day that I was born.

Works Cited 1) Daalder, Ivo H. Decision to Intervene: How the War in Bosnia Ended. Brookings Institution. 31 December 1998. Page 1. Web. Date retrieved: 10 Jan 2013. <http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/1998/12/balkans-daalder> 2) Bosnian War (1992-1995). Mount Holyoke University. 9 Mar 2009. Page 1. Web. Date retrieved: 10 Jan 2013. <http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~bonne20s/causes.html> 3) Prettyman, Jane Wardlow. "Sending Troops to Bosnia." Los Angeles Times. 29 Nov. 1995. Page 1. Web. Date retrieved: 10 Jan 2013. <http://articles.latimes.com/199511-29/local/me-8214_1_bosnian-serb-leader-bosnian-president-alija-izetbegovicpresident-clinton>