The Construction of Fear in the Former Yugoslavia

Synopsis - This paper examines the various causes – and claimed causes – of the dissolution of Yugoslavia to conclude that the construction of fear was of paramount importance. Many contributory and causal factors have been identified as operating in the disintegration of the Former Yugoslavia and the accompanying wars of secession. However, it is only the construction of fear that adequately explains this violent contest of nationhood and sovereignty and also provides the underlying cause, from which all else is shown as effect. The ‘ancient hatreds’ explanation was previously popular because it allowed external observers to truncate the reasoning of such a complex problem. The narrative of those involved could then be based on stories of past injustice and atrocities and hence became a rationale of their own fear and hatred. The fear was then realised through historical myth which, combined with elite manipulation, gave it fertile ground in which to thrive. The deep divisions within the international community, including on the relative prioritisation of sovereignty and human security, were reflected in the collective inability to ameliorate the epidemic of fear. The same fear was constructed in the emergent nationalisms; being envisaged as a defence of identity. Both nationalism and instrumental use of identity relied on the same causative anatomy - the construction of fear - which is here identified as the main cause of conflict in the Former Yugoslavia. About the author - The author is a Serbo-Croat linguist who served as a British Army Officer in the Balkans from 1995 through to 2002 and has assisted with UK government policy formulation on the region.