Balkans Part 4

The trip is finally drawing to a close. I am at the airport in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It has been an exciting and tiring week or so. I have been in Dubrovnik for the past day or two with a friend from class just chilling. There is a lot of work to be done when I am home. I have to write up my research report on the Bosnian situation. I also have essays to write and a dissertation proposal to hand in. Good times! This trip was great though. I have taken in a lot of information and have looked at the situation in Bosnia from plenty of different angles. The most interesting part of this trip was visiting the town of Srebrenica. This is where the Serbian army massacred tens of thousands of Bosnian Muslims under the eyes of a battalion of Dutch UN peacekeeping troops. The UN was hopelessly naive in thinking they could create a 'safe zone' around the town of Srebrenica to protect the citizens from the Serbian army which had surrounded the area. This was a huge mistake as it meant that tens of thousands of Bosnian Muslims from the surrounding areas descended on the town hoping for protection. This created a ridiculous situation where the UN peacekeeping troops struggled to maintain order and at the same time protect the Bosnian Muslims from the Serbian army. The Serbian army flouted the safe zone agreement and simply marched into the town. Thousands of men and boys ran for the hills and were massacred by the Serbian army. Those who failed to get away on time were transported in trucks and systematically killed by the Serbian army. The UN peacekeeping troops simply watched on. There was also a crazy situation where thousands of Bosnian Muslims who had managed to seek refuge inside a factory building were asked to leave by the UN peacekeeping troops when the Serbian army arrived. You have to wonder what on earth was going on. Of course, it is easy to blame the UN Dutch peacekeeping troops. I think the problem is found in the higher politics of the UN and the fact that the troops were not granted a clear mandate to use force. The creation of a safe zone was also a mistake if not enough troops were sent to enforce it.
Right. It is soon time to board the plane. The first thing I want when I get back is sleep and a big English breakfast ..
And here are a couple of pictures from my last couple of days in Dubrovnik.