The Bosnian War: The Brutal Forgotten War

The Balkans has a long and colourful history sitting between western and eastern Europe and at the gateway to the near east. It is here that cultures and religions have clashed for centuries during struggles for identity and freedoms leading to mistrust and even hatred being bred into each generation, waiting to be unbottled. During the 1990s, as one nation began to fracture into seven, those old grievances resurfaced in spectacular and horrific fashion, leading into a war that would see atrocities not witnessed in Europe since the days of the Third Reich and would not only drag in the world’s great powers but would also highlight their weaknesses in a battle that few outside of the region truly understood. In this episode, we are going to examine the history leading up to the Bosnian War of the 1990s, exploring the role the international community played in the shaping of events and ask could more have been done to prevent the tragedy. Welcome to Wars of the World.

00:00 Introduction
02:37 Land of the South Slavs
08:00 The Collapse of Yugoslavia
13:13 Bosnia and Herzegovina
16:32 Peacekeepers
20:43 Sarajevo Under Siege
28:29 Safe Zones and Deny Flight
37:23 NATO Opens Fire
44:43 Deliberate Force
53:48 The Dayton Peace Accords