Berkley Center

This case study examines the ethnoreligious hostilities that plunged Bosnia and Herzegovina into a civil war (1992-1995) between Catholic Croats, Orthodox Serbs, and Muslim Bosniaks after the breakup of the former communist Yugoslavia. Five questions frame the study’s coverage of the Bosnian War and the role of religion within it: What are the historical origins of ethnic conflict in the former Yugoslavia? How are religion, ethnicity, and political differences intertwined in the region? How important were international religious and political forces? What role did socioeconomic factors play? How did religion intersect with these other factors in driving outcomes? The case study includes a core text, a timeline of key events, a guide to relevant government agencies and religious and nongovernmental organizations, and a list of further readings.