Word: yugoslavia
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...civilian leadership looked like spectators at a war of the army's making, while the rebellious Slovenian militia sought ways not just to eject federal troops but to humiliate them as well. The army itself seemed in jeopardy of splintering along the very ethnic lines that surely make Yugoslavia the most Balkanized of Balkan states...
Although the centuries-old ethnic, religious and political enmities roiling Yugoslavia must seem very distant to most Americans, the turbulence has immediate meaning. The U.S. is currently engaged in a social debate that pits the virtues of ethnic and racial diversity against the value of a common national identity. Of course, unlike the artificial construct that is Yugoslavia, America evolved organically, its identity forged by a populace that for the most part joined the union eagerly, not with sullen resistance. Still, it was instructive for Americans to watch the television footage from Yugoslavia to see what unbounded "multiculturalism" can look...
...hours later, the war of ultimatums again heated up. Yugoslavia's eight-member collective presidency demanded that Slovenia surrender control of its 27 border posts within three days. The issue was more than symbolic: in a country where customs duties account for as much as one-third of the government's revenue, the key crossings to Italy, Austria and Hungary are a major source of federal income. Slovenian information minister Jelko Kacin rejoined, "I state categorically that Yugoslavia no longer has a border with Italy or Austria." While Slovenia did demobilize 10,000 members of its forces and respond...
Whom to ask, then? The military high command? The mixed signals emanating from Yugoslavia's generals increased speculation that even the army itself did not know what its next move would be. No sooner had Adzic issued his belligerent warning than another general, Andreja Raseta, a Serb from Croatia who is deputy commander of the Yugoslav army units deployed in Slovenia, announced that federal troops would not fire unless they were fired upon. The Defense Minister, General Veljko Kadijevic, in the meantime assured the federal presidency that the army would abide by the cease-fire. Long considered a moderate...
Even if the high command remains united, the army that Josip Broz Tito built during World War II threatens to fracture along the very ethnic lines that have created Yugoslavia's current miasma. Led by a cadre of generals who are the last bastion of hard-line communism in the country, the officer corps is predominantly Serbian, while the conscript ranks reflect the multiethnic complexion of the Yugoslav federation. Among the 2,300 troops captured by the Slovenes were hundreds who had turned themselves in, testimony to the lack of resolve within the ranks. Many of the troops fighting...