What this lesson teaches
I can judge how local states, the superpowers and the UN shaped how conflicts developed over time.
Syllabus 9174, Paper 1, Theme III, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the roles of different actors in the development of conflicts over time
I can judge how well diplomacy, peacekeeping and peace talks managed conflicts.
Syllabus 9174, Paper 1, Theme III, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the effectiveness of conflict management
Make a guess
In 1993 the UN declared Srebrenica a safe area. What do you think happened there in July 1995?
- UN troops defended it successfully until the end of the war.
- Bosnian Serb forces overran it and killed more than 8,000 Bosniaks.
- Its people were safely evacuated before any attack.
Show the answer
Bosnian Serb forces overran it and killed more than 8,000 Bosniaks.
The victims were men and boys. Dutch peacekeepers were few and lightly armed, and air strikes were too few and too late. Srebrenica became the UN's darkest moment.
The UN fed civilians and tried to protect them, but it was given too few troops and too weak a mandate. Its failure at Srebrenica became its darkest moment.
In September 1991 the UN placed an arms embargo on all of Yugoslavia. It hurt the Bosnian government most, because the Bosnian Serbs had the weapons of the Yugoslav army.
The UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR) was sent to Bosnia in 1992. It kept Sarajevo airport open and escorted aid convoys, which saved many lives. But it was there to keep a peace that did not exist, and it was not allowed to fight.
In 1993 the Security Council declared six "safe areas", including Srebrenica and Sarajevo. The UN Secretary-General said about 34,000 troops were needed to protect them. Members provided only about 7,600.
NATO air strikes needed approval from both NATO and the UN. This "dual key" system made the use of force slow and weak.
In July 1995 Bosnian Serb forces overran Srebrenica while a small Dutch UN battalion stood by. More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed.
The UN did create an international tribunal in 1993 to try war crimes. It later convicted Karadzic and Mladic of genocide.
- Arms embargo
- September 1991.
- Safe areas
- 1993: six declared.
- Srebrenica
- July 1995: more than 8,000 killed.
- War crimes tribunal
- Created 1993.
Worked example: Judging the UN
Did the UN fail in Bosnia?
- Humanitarian aid: saved many lives.
- Protection: the safe areas were not defended.
- Neutrality: it could not stop an aggressor.
- Justice: the tribunal later punished war crimes.
Watch out for this
The UN failed because its peacekeepers were cowardly.
UN troops were few, lightly armed and not allowed to fight. The failure came from the weak mandate and resources that member states gave them.
Check your understanding
Why did the arms embargo hurt the Bosnian government most?
- It applied to the Bosnian government but not to the Serbs.
- The Bosnian Serbs already had the Yugoslav army's weapons.
- The Bosnian government had a large army it could not supply.
Show the answer
The Bosnian Serbs already had the Yugoslav army's weapons.
Right. The embargo froze an unequal balance.