Standpunten en kanttekeningen

Onafhankelijkheid, autonomie of reïntegratie van de Vojna Krajine in Kroatië: de historische achtergrond van het probleem

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Abstract

Independence, autonomy or reintegration of the Croatian Krajina. The historical dimension of the problem - Every durable solution for the war in ex-Jugoslavia faces the problem of the Krajina. This area was occupied by the Croatian Serbs and the former Yugoslav army and with the compromise of the Vance plan put under the control of Unprofor. With Tudjman threatening not to prolong the mandate of Unprofor, the main and original conflict between Serbs and Croats could burst out anew at any moment This happened when in the beginning of May 1995 the Croatian army reconquered West Slavonia. In this article, the historical dimension of the Krajina problem is dealt with. The historical cause of the existing problems is the incursion of the Ottomans into the Bosnian and Croatian lands in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. On both sides of the frontier between the Hapsburg and the Turkish forces, war zones were installed. The Hapsburg area was formally organized in the so-called ’Military Frontier*. From then on, this region was actually separated from Croatia. The social structure of the region developed following its own patterns. It displayed its own ethnic and religious characteristics. Only in the last part of the nineteenth century, the Croatian National Movement was succesful in reintegrating the Krajina into Croatia. In our conclusions, we stress that community problems cannot be decided by merely taking into account ethic or historic arguments. They can only play a secondary role in nation-building. One needs a constructive and conventional approach to these problems in order to reach a stable and lasting agreement.

How to Cite:

Stallaerts, R., (1995) “Onafhankelijkheid, autonomie of reïntegratie van de Vojna Krajine in Kroatië: de historische achtergrond van het probleem”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 40(4), 436–439. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.95218