Balkan Wars 1990's

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i use lol out of habit, but i never ever use words like plz, u, r, etc. if you are proing me about my age, i've posted it in one topic. i'm 2 years older than you. i cant help but feel insulted to hear that from you.

I was really talking about Istrebitel, he has been using it more than you, I didn't even notice that you used it, so sorry if I offended you.

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balkans are very complicated thing to someone who doesnt lives here, even if you'd understand its entire history you wouldnt be able to comprehend it. it is not called a barrle of gunpowder for nothing.

Well you said something right..

i ve read most of disscusion and i think everyone can see that true problem of yugoslavia was nationalism that broke loose when tito died

in almost every republic of yugoslavia (there vere six of them) a wanna-be tito came to power - with an intention to be a greater leader than tito - most of them saw an opportunity to achieve that by forming an independent state where they could act as the fathers of that specific nation (very sad but true story)

of course they had to give some reason for independance - eg. in croatia - they started accusing serbs of everything that was wrong in yugoslavia; in serbia they tried to spread their influence on almost every yugoslav republic claiming that it is a part of serbia (and basically using the serbian minority in that country) etc etc

i myself was born and raised in yugoslavia - my father is a croat and my mother is serbian - and only when the war broke out, i found out of which nationality i was - we never spoke of it before - because it just wasnt important, or at least tito tried to make it unimportant (for me it still isnt important)

sadly i think thats the biggest mistake of SFR Yugoslavia - it just did not find the way to bring the nations together (after tito died that is)

i also believe that all ex yugoslav states will sooner or later be a part of the EU - where they will start to work as close as never before -> because the situation will show that they can only relie on each other for help and lobbying within the EU

in the end, i believe that yugoslavia would never fall appart if there werent severe economic problems in the 80s - poor living standard opened up a space for politicians of destructive ideas that led to the bloodshed in the beginig of the 90s

with a hope of a brighter future for all of the yugoslav nations i salute you

peace comrades

Its irrelevant now who is guilty and how much. Fact is that the Serbs are biggest loosers of all Yugoslav nations. Why? Because during that period in history when Yugoslavia existed, Serbia and serbian minority in other republics prospered the most. They enjoyed strongest political and military power bcause most of the strongest positions were held by ethnic Serbs. Republic of Serbia and areas where Serbs were in majority in other republics consumed most of the all-Yugoslav budget, but their per capita was one of the lowest. So that money was coming from more developed Slovenia (industry) and Croatia (tourism).

When global situation became favourable for national movements in Slovenia and Croatia to grow strong and show their separatist intentions, Serbian politicians were reasonably affraid of loosing their "golden cows". They fired their nationalism wich was supported by, mainly serbian, Federal Army.

First step was using the Federal Army to stop Slovenia from separating, in the name of Yugoslavia. When this failed, and Federal Army ceased to be "federal" but all-serbian, they turned to "protection" of Serbs living in Croatia. This involved most of the air,land and sea forces once mighty Yugoslav Federal Army had, but now with 100% serbian staff. They were opposed by newly born Croatian Army (called National Guard in the begining), wich was badly organised and poorly trained, with very few tanks and artillery pieces, with no airforce at all. Officers were mostly croatians which served in Yugoslav Federal Army, and which now have been defected. In this enviroment it was not difficult to provoke trigger-happy Serbs to start an all-out attack on Croatia.