The Bosnian Genocide

This paper will explore the extent to which the primary sources allow us to identify an analytic framework consisting of the causes and the effects of the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our study of Elizabeth Neuffer’s The Key to My Neighbor’s House and Samantha Power’s “A Problem from Hell” reveals a range of causes of the genocide in Bosnia, including Milošević's ultranationalist ideology, the myth of Serb victimization, the drive for a “Greater Serbia” and ethnic homogeneity, propaganda and hate speech, Milošević's appropriation of Kosovo, declarations of independence by Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia, the creation of Repulika Srpska, and the failure of U.S. intervention. Further, our reading of Neuffer’s The Key to My Neighbor’s House and Samantha Power’s “A Problem from Hell”, and our study of selected pages from the course dedicated website, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) and the Obstacles to Reconciliation and Justice (OTRJ) powerpoint presentations, as well as the films Welcome to Sarajevo and The Geography of Genocide in Bosnia: Redeeming the Earth, allows us to document the catastrophic effects of the genocide in Bosnia, including the concentration camps, the assault of civilians, the Srebrenica genocide, and the mass graves. The conclusion will first address the thesis regarding the identification of the analytic framework regarding causes and effects, and then reflect on and respond to one of the obstacles to the achievement of justice and reconciliation in Bosnia following the Dayton Peace Accords by which Repulika Srpska has continued its genocidal impulse to prevent non-Serbs from returning to their former homes.
During the time Josip Broz Tito was in power Bosnia and Yugoslavia displayed a far different picture than what was to be seen during the genocide. Tito was in power from 1945 until his death in 1980, under his rule, being Yugoslavian mattered more than the ethnic origin of a person. After the death of Tito the country of Yugoslavia begun to deteriorate as Communism was collapsing across Eastern Europe. In Neuffer’s The Key to My Neighbor’s House Neuffer describes the point in time Hasan Nuhanović, a Bosnian Muslim knew his life was over. In the book Neuffer states, “Looking back on it later, Hasan realized that was when he first sensed that his life, as he knew was over. The event seemed so very innocent the battle, after all, had been in 1389 but what struck Hasan was this: Everyone he knew getting on the bus was of Serb origin.” (Neuffer, 7). The Serb students were going to a speech that was being given by Slobodan Milošević.
Milošević was born into a poor family, both parents and uncle committed suicide. Milošević studied law at Belgrade University eventually becoming a banker and spent time in New York. On his return to Yugoslavia he worked his way up the ranks with the help of his wife Mirjana Marković eventually becoming the head of the Serbian Communist Party. What set Milošević apart was his recognition of the power of nationalism. In 1987 Milošević gave a speech at Kosovo in which he proclaimed the cause of the Kosovo Serbs over the ethnic Albanian majority. Kosovo was dominated by the ethnic Albanian majority. Ethnic Serbs had left Kosovo due to harassment by the Albanian extremists. In Milošević’s 1987 speech at Kosovo he promised the Serbs that Kosovo will still be theirs. It was after this speech that Milošević became a national sensation. Using his new found spotlight Milošević used the media and newspapers to spread his pro-Serb nationalist propaganda. Milošević spread a message that had been suppressed under communism. Milošević created a belief of Serb victimization, using myths, legends, and poetry.
One goal held by Milošević was the creation of a greater Serbia, a Serbia that would be entirely homogenetic. Through Milošević’s ultranationalist rhetoric he was spreading nationalism in which the past began to matter more than the future. In The Key to My Neighbor’s House Neuffer states, “Once legends surrounding the region’s history were let loose with their accompanying message of long standing historical injustice the past suddenly became more important than the future.” (Neuffer, 9). One such example of the nationalist rhetoric being spread by Milošević was his Kosovo Polje speech on the 28th of June, 1989. This was the speech Hasan was referring to when describing the day he knew his life as it was, was over. Footage of this speech can be seen in David and Jonah Pettigrew’s documentary The Geography of Genocide in Bosnia: Redeeming the Earth. It was the rise of nationalism that would eventually cause neighbors to turn on each, it created a hostile environment in which it no longer mattered that you were Yugoslavian but rather that you were a Serb.
It was through Milošević’s spread of nationalism as well as propaganda and hate speech that created an environment in which genocide could occur. In A Problem from Hell Power writes, “In retrospect, when Serb radio began broadcasting reports that Bosnian towns had been attacked by “Muslim extremists,” non-Serbs might have checked their own history books.” (Power, 255). It was not only Milošević who preached hate speech towards the non-Serbs. Milošević sent another Serb nationalist named Vojislav Šešelj to Prijedor which was one of the largest Serb dominated cities. Neuffer states in her book, “For months northwest Bosnia had been barraged with nationalist rhetoric. Milošević dispatched Serb nationalist Vojislav Šešelj to Prijedor one of Bosnia’s largest Serb-dominated cities, where he told local Serbs how foolish they were to live with non-Serbs.” (Neuffer, 34). It was through messages such as these continued to divide Bosnia between the Serbs and the non-Serbs.
Along with the ultranationalist rhetoric, propaganda, and hate speech another cause of the Bosnian genocide was the Slovenia’s, Croatia’s, and Bosnian’s declaration of independence. The rise of Milošević’s nationalist ideology sparked Slovenia to secede from Yugoslavia; this created a ten day war. Croatia declared its own independence at the same time Slovenia did, however due to Croatia’s larger Serb minority the Yugoslav’s army did not want to let it go. What ensued was a seven month war leaving 10,000 dead and 700,000 displaced. It was the creation of Republika Srpska that made Bosnia’s independence so different. In Power’s book she states, “Bosnian Serb units destroyed most cultural and religious sites in order to erase any memory of a Muslim or Croat presence in what they would call “Republika Serpska.” (Power, 249). Republika Srpska was a microcosm of Greater Serbia, it fueled the genocidal impulse that existed amongst the Bosnian Serbs.
The final cause of the Bosnian genocide was the failure of the U.S. to intervene as well as the failure of the UN to intervene. The argument cannot be made that what was occurring in Bosnia was not known. The Bosnian genocide was well reported by Western reporters, these reporters documented what was occurring in Bosnia at the time of the genocide. The American citizens were outraged at what was occurring in Bosnia. Even with the public’s reaction the United States, Europe, and the United Nations stood idle as thousands were killed. An example of the UN’s failure to intervene was the UN designated safe zones. These safe zones were supposed to be areas in which Bosnian non-Serbs could go for protection. The Dutch soldiers in charge of these safe zones turned over the non-Serbs and allowed the genocide to continue.
With these causes came the effects of the Bosnian Genocide, one of these effects being concentration camps. Although we often think to the holocaust when we hear concentration camps these camps also occurred in Bosnia. The conditions in these camps were harsh; a description of the camp’s conditions can be seen in Power’s A Problem from Hell. In the book she states,
In the notorious Serb-run camps in northern Bosnia, Muslim, and Croat detainees were inhumanely concentrated. Onetime farmers, factory workers, and philosophers were pressed tightly into barracks. One prisoner’s nose nestled into the armpit or the sweaty feet of the eighty-five-year-old inmate beside him. The urine bucket filled, spilled, and remained in place. Parched inmates gathered their excretion in cupped hands to wet their lips. (Power, 269).

At first the reports of these concentration camps were denied by the Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. Karadzic had even invited the media to see for themselves that there were no concentration camps. However Karadzic underestimated the British journalists and they showed up to Omarska before he was able to empty the worst of the camps. What the journalist found were malnourished men whose heads were shaved and little to eat. On their trip back that passed another concentration camp Trnopolje. New arrivals had just shown up and it was clear they were in terrible shape. The two British journalists documented the scene which was chosen by the producer due to its similarity to the holocaust. The discovery and documentation of these disturbing concentration camps are shown in the film Welcome to Sarajevo.
A disturbing occurrence during the Bosnian genocide was the assault on civilians. Shelling was a frequent occurrence during the Bosnian genocide; in one instance the Bosnian Serbs fired 3,777 shells during a sixteen hour period, (Power, 311). Among the shellings were other instances of assault on civilians. One such instance occurred in Višegrad in the Pionirska house, in this house woman and children were burned alive by the Serb forces. What remains of this house can be seen on the Obstacles to Reconciliation and Justice powerpoint. The powerpoint shows pictures of this house and damage can be seen that was caused by the fires set by the Serbs. More evidence of the assault on civilians can be seen one the Klotjevac course dedicated website. This website shows images of a village overgrown with brush. In one picture only the foundation and the pillar of what was once a wall can be seen. The village formerly housed many civilians however the assaults and attacks left a village demolished beyond recognition.
As mentioned previously the United Nations established designated safe areas where the Bosnian non-Serbs could seek safety. One such safe area was in Srebrencia, this area was under control of the Dutch army serving under the UN. On the Obstacles to Reconciliation: Witnessing Genocide at Srebencia course dedicated website there are images of the warehouse that was once used for stockpiling goods by local farmers. Approximately 1,000 Bosnian Muslim men were taken here. When the men were all packed into the warehouse the Serbs threw grenades and opened fire at the warehouse, nearly all died. Power states, “At 4:30 pm on July 11, the ruddy-faced, stout commander of the Bosnian Serb army, Ratko Mladic, strolled into Srebencia…Finally after the rebellion of the Dahijas the time has come to take revenge on the [Muslims] in this region.” (Power, 392). Over the course of one week men and boys were separated from the women. Those who attempted to flee were captured by the Serbs. What occurred was the largest massacre in Europe within the past fifty years.
The final effect of the Bosnian genocide that will be discussed is mass graves. Something that the Serbs had done that was not done in past genocide was the utilization of secondary mass graves. In order to conceal the victims and hide the evidence of the genocide bodies were dissembled and different parts buried in different graves. In the A Secondary Mass Grave course dedicated website a grave containing what appears to be various bones including a skull can be seen. When new graves are found the newly discovered bones are sent to a laboratory where tests are conducted to determine the identity of the victim. In an image in the ICMP powerpoint a man is seen holding up part of a bone. DNA is extracted from the bones and then are matched with blood samples of living relatives. These mass graves have made it harder for the families of the victims to find closer. Even if a victim is found in one grave it may take several more years for the remaining parts of that victim to be found in other graves. A mass grave was discovered in Nova Kasaba, the mass grave was discovered near a soccer field. Power describes the process of finding this mass grave when she states, “In one spy photo several hundred prisoners were gathered at the neighborhood soccer field where the Dutch had spotted them. Several days later the prisoners had vanished and four mounds of earth, testament to fresh digging, appeared nearby.” (Power, 419).
This paper set out to explore the extent to which the primary sources allow us to identify an analytic framework consisting of the causes and the effects of the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even though much time has passed since the Bosnian genocide there is still obstacles to reconciliation and justice that affect the non-Serb Bosnians today. One example of these obstacles is the monuments erected for the perpetrators of the genocide. These monuments can be seen throughout Bosnia however monuments for the victims of the genocide have been challenged as well as downright prohibited. The Višegrad municipality planned on destroying the Pionirska house in Višegrad. This house is an important landmark as this was the site where women and children were burned alive. While no such action has yet been taken by the municipality to destroy the house, a notice stating no work is permitted to be done on the house remains. In response to this as an obstacle to reconciliation and justice I would form a coalition in support of the rebuilding of the house. I would garner support from national organizations and those in Bosnia and would collect the resources needed to reconstruct the house. Although there is a notice permitting the construction on the house no such progress can be made by being complicit to the government. Once the house is rebuilt it will be turned into a memorial for those that burned in the house as well as the other victims of the Bosnian genocide.