Bosnia: the Security Dilemma That Did Not Exist: an Investigation into the Causes of Ethnic Violence

Was the cause of the war in Bosnia attempt by Serbia to protect and rescue Serbian ethnic islands that were stranded in Croat and Muslim teritorry? Can ethnic security dilemma explain eruption of violent conflict in Bosnia, or were the causes more complex? Can interstate security dilemma theory be sucessfully applied to intrastate actors, in this case ethnic groups, and still produce credible results? Is it a misconception to believe that one ethnic group being surrounded by others in a state of emerging anarchy inevitably creates vulnerability and insecurity that can lead to violent conflict? Main cause of the war in Bosnia was not attempt by Serbia to rescue Serbian ethnic islands in Croatia. Ethnically homogenous regions did not exist in Croatia and Bosnia before the war and therefore there was no reason for their protection. There were no misperceptions between Serbs and Croats, intentions were clear, therefore there was no security dilemma. Main misperception happened to Bosnian Muslims. They saw intentions of Serbs as benign and non-threatening, when in fact, they were malign. This book is an attempt to look more closely at possible causes of ethnic conflict in Bosnia.