123 School Work

Ethnic Conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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  Since the end of the Cold War ethnicity and clashes among ethnic groups have become the strongest scourge of the world. However, there is a diversity of opinions about what is ethnicity and how ethnic group can be defined. The most commonly accepted definition of ethnic group is one that perceives itself to be distinct in cultural terms including its language, customs, religious beliefs, physical appearance and region of residence. In the early 1990-s the bloodiest outburst of ethnic passions was observed in Eastern Europe. Ethnic groups can define themselves as a distinct group in terms of one of above-listed characteristics. Probably, it is a contradictional question of whether the civil war in the former Yugoslavia can be considered as an ethnic conflict, because the Croats, the Muslims and the Serbs are not racially distinct. However, they are distinct in terms of their religious beliefs and the territory of residence, so it can be concluded that there are distinct ethnic groups in former Yugoslavia and these ethnic groups are engaged in ethnic conflict. In this paper we will try to take a close look on the ethnic conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina as he bloodiest conflict in Europe after the World War II.
  The history of the Balkans is one of instability and violence, invasions and counter invasions, colonialism and disintegration. The result has become the tangle of cultures, languages, historical experiences and loyalties...