Disintegration of Yugoslavia and Post-Conflict Transition in an International Context

Pre-requisites: No specific requirements

Course objectives: Comprehending, analyzing and getting critical opinion on Yugoslav disintegration, a process still going on. Yugoslav crisis is linked with global events, i.e. Yugoslavia is studied within international context. Students learn Yugoslav crisis took place at the very beginning of global era, American unilateralism and completion of first big political phase of European unification.

Course description: Theoretical lecturing of this subject investigates dramatic and controversial period of Yugoslav history from 1980s till today, and gives forecast of potential further consequences of disintegration of Yugoslavia. Lectures are combined with discussions and pointing to significant literature, cases, phenomenon of Yugoslavia disintegration and post-conflict transitions. Theoretical lecturing consists of 12 topics: First disintegration, 1980-1991: political arguments and political preparations and the fall of communism, Soviet paradigm and Yugoslav crisis; Religious communities and cultures of the late socialism; Serbia and Croatia: real and virtual return to WWII? and Serbia, Croatia and division of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Dayton peace and Kosovo crisis and NATO intervention; Yugoslav controversies; The fall of Milosevic in 2000 and first transition, 2001-2003; Great Britain and Yugoslav crisis; EU and Western Balkans: looking for solutions.

Learning Outcomes: Analysis of Yugoslav disintegration and post-conflict transition will help master students of IMESS (UCL – BU) to understand basic issues of economy, states and societies of Southeast Europe during important changes of European relations and globalization process in last two decades of 20th and first decade of 21st century. Special attention will be paid to perspectives of Great Britain, European Union, USA and to context of communism fall and USSR disintegration.

Literature/Reading:

• Susan Woodward, Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and Dissolution after the Cold War. Washington: Brookings Institution, 1995.
• James Gow, Legitimacy and the Military: The Yugoslav Crisis. London: Pinter, 1992.
• Gale Stokes, John Lampe, Dennison Rusinow, Julie Mostov, „Instant History: Understanding the Wars of Yugoslav Succession“. Slavic Review, Vol. 55, No. 1, Spring, 1996, 136-160.
• Alina Mundiju-Pipidi, Ivan Krastev, „Naučene lekcije – izgradnja nacije i države posle komunizma“. Nacionalizam posle komunizma. Naučene lekcije (ur. Alina Mundiju-Pipidi, Ivan Krastev). Beograd
• David Halberstam, War in a Time of Peace. Bush, Clinton and the Generals. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2002.
• Nikola Samardžić, Drugi dvadeseti vek, Službeni glasnik : Beograd, 2008.