Topics:

"The Collapse of the Soviet Union: Internal Causes, International Consequences, and the Future of the Former Soviet States"

and

"The Breakup of Yugoslavia: Ethnic Conflict, International Intervention, and the Challenges of State-Building in the Balkans"

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Topic Summary: 

Topic A:

The Internal Causes of the Collapse of the Soviet Union can be attributed to the discontent with the Communist System. The political and economic opening that Perestroika and Glasnost gave, which allowed for new forms of political expression to challenge the Communist Party's monopoly on power. The consequences include; the establishment of 14 New Republics, questions on how to divide the Soviet Red Army and how to divide the Soviet nuclear warhead. The future of the former soviet states laid between entering into the influence of the new Russian Federation, the west and neutrality.

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Topic B:

The breakup of Yugoslavia led to a series of conflicts that reshaped the political landscape of the Balkans, Yugoslavia was a multiethnic federation composed of six republics. Following the death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980, political instability and the resurgence of national identities led to growing tensions among the six republics and two autonomous provinces that composed the country. The first republic to declare independence was Slovenia, followed by Croatia in early 1991. This led to the outbreak of armed conflict in both countries, particularly in the border regions around the villages of Breg and Prekaz where a large number of people were killed or displaced. The United Nations intervened with peacekeeping operations through UNPROFOR. A second round of independence declarations led to the outbreak of armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina in early 1992, with a large number of people killed or displaced as a result. The United Nations responded to the crisis by authorizing peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina through UNPROFOR in May 1992. International mediation ultimately led to the conclusion of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995, the long term legacy of the dissolution of Yugoslavia is still apparent in the region today with problems related to borders, ethnic relations, political institutions and security continuing to affect the stability of the region.