19442 - Yugoslavia: The 1990s Civil War - to Present

Course Overview

We'll discuss the current post-Balkan War situation and examine the societies, economies and governments of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia/Kosovo. Some questions I want to answer during our studies are: How and why did a region with three distinct religions consisting of Russian Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholic, and Islam; Multiple ethnicities consisting of Croats, Bosniaks, Serbs, Slovenes, and other minorities; and five different languages become a successful country only to fall into civil war by succumbing to nationalism, ethnic cleansing, and ultimately splinter into six independent countries? Can these countries prosper with their current governments and relations with each other? Will the current powder keg of Europe be able to bring peace to their own countries?