Bosnia and Herzegovina

 [[pl:Bo%B6nia i Hercegowina]]

File:Bosnia flag medium.png

The Bosnia and Herzegovina declaration of sovereingnty in October of 1991, was followed by a referendum for independence from the former Yugoslavia in February of 1992. Three years of bloody civil war between the ortodox, katholic , and muslim Bosnian followed. This war was fueled attetempts of taking over the region by Milosovic' Serbia and Tudman's Croatia. The bosnian Katholics and Othodox where "made" Croatian and Serbs by nationalistic propaganda. The nationalistic movements in this region started in the 19th century and resulted in social disintegration. In these times, but also in the 20th century the bosnian Muslims where ethnically claimed by Croats and Serb. Especially in the beginning of the influence of the Ottoman emprire children of katholic and othodox Bosnians where seperated from their families and raised to be members of the Yeni Ceri (new troops) and became muslims. During this times there was also a heavy migration of othodox Serbs from the region around Belgrade, which settled in the north of Bosnia. Also orthodox Valachs from todays Romania settled in this aerea and mixed up with the Serb population. Many have also mooved to todays Croatia in a region which was called Morlachia and came under catholic influence.

On November 21, 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties signed a peace agreement that brought to a halt the inter-ethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on December 14, 1995). The Dayton Agreement divides Bosnia and Herzegovina roughly equally between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska. In 1995-1996, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission is to deter renewed hostilities. SFOR remains in place, with about 20,000 troops as of August 2001.

Through out this conflict the international cumunity, especially the United Nations have made fatal errors in evaluating the whole situation.

The United Nations' International Police Task Force in Bosnia was replaced at the end of 2002 by the a European Union Police Mission, the first such police training and monitoring taskforce from the European Union.