Document Type

Article

Disciplines

International Law

Abstract

In a way, the Yugoslavian crisis started as far back as 1980, with the end of Tito's iron reign in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The animosities and mistrust between the theoretically equal republics of the federation, which had been suppressed and submerged during the strict one-party leadership of Tito, found very fertile soil in the severe economic problems: hyper-inflation, unemployment, and high debt profile. These problems rocked Yugoslavia in the second half of that decade. Another factor of the Yugoslavian crisis was the wave of political reformations and revolutions that consumed Eastern Europe. On June 25, 1991 Slovenia and Croatia, acting upon the results of an earlier national referendum, broke away from the federation. This precipitated a most pitiful theater of civil strife, which has since enveloped the entire region in gloom. By January 1992, two additional republics, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia, had indicated to the European Community (hereinafter "E.C.") that they would wish to be recognized as independent states. However, Bosnia-Herzegovina's application for recognition failed.' Although viewed as meeting most of the E.C. conditions, particularly those relating to international obligations and human rights, BosniaHerzegovina was yet to show evidence of the "expression of the will of the inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina for constituting the Socialist Republic of Bosnia - Herzegovina as a sovereign and independent state."2 Such evidence could be obtained by organizing a referendum in which all citizens would participate.

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