The Former Yugoslavia and the Quest for Improving Regional Stability

Abstract

The Balkan Peninsula has been called the powderkeg of Europe and has been a symbol of regional instability for the past two hundred years. The current round of instability in the former Yugoslavia is well founded in the region's history. Returning a state of peace and stability to that region is a two phased process. First, the fighting in Bosnia-Hercegovina and the Krajina must be stopped. Four methods for achieving this goal are presented in this paper. The method offering the most promise is a serious negotiation process even as the fighting continues. Once the fighting has ceased, long term stability can be returned to the region. This will require a serious international commitment not only to negotiating an agreement but also to providing the force necessary for perhaps an indefinite period in order to implement and guarantee the negotiated solution. The principle of cultural autonomy, or extraterritoriality, a concept developed by two Austrian Marxists prior to the demise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, offers the best hope for restoring peace and stability to the region over the long term. This concept should be tried in Macedonia immediately and, if successful, should be applied to the rest of the region.