The Aftermath of the War of Independence
There are many reasons why people and nations go to war and the desire to be free and independent are two of them. This was the case in Croatia, where the “War of Independence” resulted from the rise of nationalism, which suppressed parts of Eastern Europe, in the 1980s. The ruling regime was quite destructive, and this slowly led to a fierce crisis and the dissolution of Yugoslavia. When, in 1991, the Serbian politician Slobodan Milosovic gained power in Yugoslavia, and nationalistic feelings and ethnic hatred grew dramatically, the day had come when Slovenia and Croatia refused to submit, and declared independence. Their decision to separate from a nation they saw as governed solely by Serbs soon escalated into a conflict marked by furious armed incidents, and desperate attempts by the Yugoslav army to prevent the breakaway republics from leaving. They failed.
Until this day, nobody really knows if this was a civil or an international war, because neither Croatia nor Yugoslavia ever officially declared war on each other. All historians know with certainty, is that the violent attacks lasted until 1995, and that even today the effects of these fights are still leaving their marks on the many who were involved in, or fell victim to, those troubled times.
Post-war Croatia is recovering slowly and gaining part of its former strength back. Through hard work, the economy is on the rebound, ruins are being cleaned up and tourists are also returning. On the outside it all seems prosperous, until one digs deeper. Human tragedies are tougher to deal with, and many wounded during the military operations from1991-1995, are still trying to get their lives back together. These civilians, veterans, and their families still struggle to survive, often live in poor conditions, and continue to relive their worst nightmares day after day.
More than a decade has passed, yet despite signed agreements and declarations, post-war victims still do not sleep peacefully, nor feel completely safe in the Republic of Croatia. This situation will, unfortunately, not change until the “war crimes and ethnic cleansing” complaints at the International Court of Justice cease, and the arguing and accusations finally stop.