Two Decades of Academic Debate: Western Scholarship and the Collapse of Yugoslavia

Radeljić Branislav (Lecturer in International Development, University of East London, UK), B.Radeljic@uel.ac.uk

The collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has encouraged proliferation of academic literature. This paper examines Western scholarship and, while broadly dividing factors that contributed to the state disintegration into two main categories (internal and external), questions what is yet to be analyzed in order to get a clearer picture about the Yugoslav drama. In this respect, the paper perceives non-state actors as important players capable of influencing decision-making processes. Thus, deeper understanding of activism perpetrated by diaspora groups, media and churches — altogether bearing remarkable power within the Yugoslav federation — would be a valuable contribution to the existing scholarship.

Keywords: Yugoslavia, state disintegration, European Community, non-state actors