Background Issues

Vietnam and HIV/AIDS
Mali, Migration and Child Labor
Ethnic conflict in Bosnia

Ethnic conflict in Bosnia
To understand the civil war of Bosnia-Herzegovina, it is imperative to know about the three dominant ethnicities making up the country’s population, as well as the breakup of Yugoslavia that preceded the conflict. The country consists primarily of three ethnicities: Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks. The main tensions of Bosnia-Herzegovina lie between the Serbs and Bosniaks. These tensions are complicated and deeply rooted in complex historical experiences – which span religious convictions, political ambitions, economic factors and many other influences. Bosnia-Herzegovina lost its independence in the 15th century when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. While under Ottoman control, Bosniaks converted to Islam while most Serbs held onto their Orthodox Christianity. Over the centuries, control of Bosnia-Herzegovina exchanged hands between a number of empires and countries until it finally regained its independence in 1992.The last entity to govern Bosnia-Herzegovina was the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ruled by the iron fist of Josip Broz Tito. His reign lasted from 1945 until his death in 1980.