The Yugoslav wars were a series of violent conflicts in the territory of the former Yugoslavia that took place between 1991 and 2001. They comprised two sets of successive wars affecting all of the six former Yugoslav republics. Alternative terms in use include the "War in the Balkans", or "War in (the former) Yugoslavia", "Wars of Yugoslav Secession" or rarely the "Third Balkan War" (a term coined by British journalist Misha Glenny, alluding to the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913).

The wars were characterised by bitter ethnic conflicts between the peoples of the former Yugoslavia. The conflict had various underlying political, cultural and ethnic causes, like Anti-Serbian sentiment, Anti-Croatian sentiment, Anti-Bosniak sentiment and religious prejudice against Islam.

However, much weight has also been given to long-standing ethnic tensions. In the case of Kosovo, they root back to the perceived loss of ancestral Serbian lands (Kosovo was integral to all historical Serbian kingdoms), while other tensions arose from the legacy of World War II during which Croatian fascists (Ustaše) and Serbian monarchists (Chetniks) fought on opposite sides (though not all Croats or Serbs belonged to either of these two movements), with the Ustaše regime (which controlled present day Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina within the 'Independent State of Croatia') pursuing an officially hostile and violent policy against Serb inhabitants. Meanwhile, a great number of people from all ethnic groups fought with the anti-fascist Partisan movement led by the Croat-Slovene communist who would later become the leader of Yugoslavia - Josip Broz Tito.

The Yugoslav wars ended with much of the former Yugoslavia reduced to poverty, massive economic disruption and persistent instability across the territories where the worst fighting occurred. The wars were the bloodiest conflicts on European soil since the end of World War II, resulting in an estimated 120,000-130,000 ^{[citation needed]} deaths and millions driven from their homes. They were also the first conflicts since World War II to have been formally judged genocidal in character and many key individual participants were subsequently charged with war crimes.

The Yugoslav wars were initiated by the secession of the two northernmost regions of the former Yugoslavia - Slovenia and Croatia - for a wide array of grievances including economic and political issues, among others.

The first of these conflicts, known as the Ten-Day War (1991) or the War in Slovenia, was nominally fought to prevent the breakup of Yugoslavia and ended with the withdrawal of the JNA (Yugoslav National Army) in 1991.

The second in this series of conflicts, the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995) was also nominally fought for the same reasons, but rapidly became overtly nationalist in character, with a clash between the Serbian and Croatian nationalist ideologies personified by President Slobodan Milošević in Serbia and President Franjo Tuđman in Croatia. In January 1992 the Vance peace plan proclaimed UN controlled zones for Serbs and brought an end to major military operations, though sporadic artillery attacks on Croatian cities and occasional intrusions of Croatian forces into UNPA zones continued until 1995.

In 1992, the conflict engulfed Bosnia (1992-1995). Which first started as a two way conflict between Serbs, and the non-serbs, and then later developed in a three way conflict between Serbs, Muslims (Bosniaks) and Croats. It was by far the bloodiest and most widely covered of the Yugoslav wars.

The conflict in Croatia did not end until August 1995, when Croatia launched a successful four-day military operation (codenamed Operation Storm) in which it managed to reclaim over 70% of its pre-war territory, entering all UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia, bordering Serbia. Virtually all of the Serbian population in these areas became refugees. The Eastern Slavonia was peacefully reintegrated into Croatia in 1998.

In 1994 U.S. brokered peace between Croatian forces and the Army of BiH (Bosniak forces). The NATO intervention against Bosnian Serbs following the Srebrenica massacre and offensive of Croatian troops into Serbian areas following Operation Storm caused Bosnian Serbs to lose some of the areas controlled by them, and pressure was put on all sides to stick to the cease-fire and finally negotiate an end to the war in Bosnia. The war ended with the signing of the Dayton Agreement on December 14th 1995.

In Kosovo, Macedonia, and southern Serbia, the conflicts were typified by ethnic and political tension between Serbian and Macedonian governments and Albanian national minorities which sought autonomy, as was the case in Macedonia, or independence, as was the case in Kosovo.

The conflict in Kosovo (Kosovo War (1996-1999)) became a full-scale war in 1999, while the Conflict in Macedonia (2001) and Conflict in Southern Serbia (2001) were characterised by armed clashes between state security forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas.

The war in Kosovo ended with NATO intervention against Serbian forces, although further widespread unrest in Kosovo broke out in 2004. The NATO intervention is often counted as yet another separate war. The conflicts in southern Serbia and in Republic of Macedonia ended with internationally-overseen peace agreements between the insurgents and the government, but the situation in both regions remains fragile.

1966

Tito sacked Aleksandar Rankovic, the main Serbian cadre, after which a purge of Serbian cadres from the establishment followed.

1968

Protests in 1968 are echoed in Yugoslavia too. There are student demonstrations, while in Kosovo demonstrators demand greater rights for Albanian minority. Ailing Tito, a lifetime president in his late 70s, allows some liberalisation, but despite old age, refuses to retire.

1971

Nationalist demonstrations in Croatia, known as Croatian spring. Government crisis followed.

1974

New constitution of SFRY proclaimed, granting more power to federal units, and more power to autonomus provinces Kosovo and Vojvodina of Serbia, giving them a vote in all relevant decisions in the federal government. It was aimed to address grievances of non-Serb nations within Yugoslavia and to curb their nationalist sentiments with what latter became known as weak Serbia, strong Yugoslavia concept.

May 1980

Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito dies. Without Tito's strong leadership, Yugoslavia begins its slow collapse.

1981

Albanians demonstrate in Kosovo, demanding status of a republic.

1986-1989

Controversial Memorandum of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts protests unequal position of Serbia in Yugoslavia.

Perceived prosecution of Serbs by Kosovo Albanians fuels growing Serbian nationalist sentiment.

Slobodan Milosevic, a high government official at the time, gives a speech to a small group of Kosovo Serbs where he promises that "no one will beat them", which is aired in the main TV news programme. Milosevic instantly becomes very popular in Serbia.

Milosevic rises to power in Serbia.

Antibyrocratic revolution demonstrations bring pro-Milosevic governments to Vojvodina, Kosovo and Montenegro.

Kosovo Albanian miners strike in the Stari Trg mine. Slovenian government holds a big rally in the Cankar Congress centre, supporting the Kosovo Albanians.

Relations between Slovenia and Serbia detoriate. Unofficial embargo on Slovenian products introduced in Serbian stores. Slovenia is increasingly talking about independence.

600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo is celebrated by Serbs accross Yugoslavia.

1990

Communist party dissolves on national lines at the 14th Congress of Yugoslav Communists, with Slovenian and Croatian communists leaving the Congress.

Constitutional changes in Serbia revoke some of the powers granted to Kosovo and Vojvodina by the constitution of 1974, including a power to cast a vote in the federal council completely independently from Serbia. This effectively gave Serbia 3 out of 8 votes in the federal council.

First democratic elections in 45 years are held in Yugoslavia in an attempt to bring the Yugoslav socialist model into the new, post-Cold War world. Nationalist options win majority in almost all republics.

Constitutional changes in Croatia deny the status of a constitutive nation to Serbs in Croatia

Croatian Serbs start a rebellion against the newly elected government, an event frequently referred to as the "Balvan revolution" (tree-log revolution).

January 1991

Evidence of illegal arming of Croatia and preparations for the war aired on TV.

Unsuccessful negotiations between heads of the republics were held in several rounds

March 1991

Oposition demonstrations in Belgrade against Milosevic rule, ending in two deaths. Army puts tanks on the streets.

May - June 1991

Rising ethnic violence in Croatia. Slovenia and Croatia declare independence. The ethnic homogeneity of Slovenia allows the country to avoid much fighting. The Yugoslav army agrees to leave Slovenia but supports rebel Serb forces in Croatia.

July 1991

A three month cease fire agreed on Brioni. Yugoslav forces would retreat from Slovenia, and Croatia and Slovenia put a hold on their independence for three months.

September 1991

EU propose Carrington-Cutileiro plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina. All sides agree, but Izetbegovic later withdraws his signature.

October 1991-December 1991

Full scale war in Croatia. Fall of Vukovar.

January 1992

Vance peace plan signed, creating 4 UNPA zones for Serbs, and ending large scale military operations in Croatia.

Macedonia declares independence. No wars erupted in this area. Slovenia and Croatia are internationally recognized.

April 1992

Bosnia declares independence. The diversity in this republic causes an ethnic strain and war ensues.

The siege of Sarajevo begins. Bosnian Serb forces mounted the siege against Bosnian Government forces.

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, the only two remaining republics.

May 1992

Yugoslav army officially retreats from Bosnia and Herzegovina, leaving a large part of its armory to Bosnian Serbs.

United nations impose sanctions against Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

December 1992

Serbia elects Slobodan Milošević as a president for the second time.

January 1993

Vance-Owen peace plan offered. Under pressure from Milosevic Karadzic signs the plan, but after a vote in assembly of Bosnian Serbs he withdraws his signature.

March 1993

Fighting begins between Bosnian Muslims and Croats.

July 1993

Owen-Stoltenberg peace plan offered. Refused by Izetbegovic in August.

September 1993

Fighting begins in the Bihac region between Muslims loyal to Bosnian Government and muslims loyal to Fikret Abdic. It lasts until August 1995.

March 1994

Peace treaty between Bosnian Muslims and Croats is signed. The treaty was arbitrated by the United States.

February-October 1994

Contact Group (U.S., Russia, France, Britain, and Germany) made steady progress towards a negotiated settlement of the conflict in Bosnia, but no agreement was reached.

August 1994

Serbia closes border with Bosnian Serb republic and imposes embargo, as a measure of pressure to accept the plan of Contact Group

May 1995

Croatia launches Operation Flash and in 2 days enters Western Slavonia UNPA zone. The exodus of 30,000 Serbian refugees follows.

July 1995

Srebrenica massacre reported.

August 1995

Croatia launches Operation Storm and reclaims over 70% of its pre-war territory, entering all UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia. This results in the exodus of the entire Serbian population in these areas, approximately 250,000 refugees.

NATO decides to launch a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other military targets on August 30th, after many incidents with civilian deaths during the years of siege of Sarajevo and in particular the Srebrenica and Markale massacres.

November 1995

Milosevic, Tudjman and Izetbegovic lead negotiations in Dayton, Ohio.

December 1995

Dayton Agreement signed in Paris, marking end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1996

FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

winter 1996/97

Following a fraud in local elections, hundreds of thousands of Serbs demonstrate in Belgrade against Milosevic regime for 3 months. The West quietly supports Milosevic, who is branded the main factor of stability in the Balkans after Dayton, and Milosevic remains in power, after issuing lex specialis and admitting victory of opposition at the local level.

March 1998

Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Milosevic sends in troops.

March 1999

NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo.

Albanian refugees pour into Macedonia and Albania in hundreds of thousands until the end of the bombing.

June 1999

Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations, but still remains a part of Serbia.

An exodus of 200,000 of Serbs and other non-Albanians follows in the wake of revenge attacks by Kosovo Albanians.

December 1999

Franjo Tudjman dies. HDZ loses Croatian elections in early 2000.

October 2000

Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office, and Vojislav Kostunica becomes new president of Yugoslavia.

2001

Fighting between Albanian militants and Macedonians erupts in Macedonia, but ends later on in 2001.

Brief Conflict in Southern Serbia between Albanian militants and Serbian security forces ends in cease fire.

February 2002

Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Kosovo, to which charges of violating the laws or customs of war and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions in Croatia and Bosnia and genocide in Bosnia were latter added. Defiant Milosevic did not recognize the court and represented himself. His defence is aired in former Yugoslavia and his popularity among Serbs greatly increased as a result.

February 2003

Yugoslavia becomes the nation of Serbia and Montenegro.

October 2003

Alija Izetbegovic dies.

March 2004

Peak of anti-Serbian violence in Kosovo. Hundreds of ancient Ortodox-christian Serbian monastires and churces were burned up to that point.

January 2006

Ibrahim Rugova dies.

March 2006

Slobodan Milošević dies in the Hague prison, ending the proceedings with no verdict reached on any of the counts.

May 21st 2006

Montenegrins vote for independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro in the Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006.

• Information and links on the Third Balkan War (1991-2001)

Wiebes, Cees. Intelligence and the War in Bosnia 1992-1995, Publisher: Lit Verlag, 2003 http://213.222.3.5/srebrenica/