Staatsdesintegratie, geweld en decivilisering. Joegoslavië in het perspectief van de civilisatietheorie

Samenvatting

State Disintegration, Violence and Decivilizing Processes: Yugoslavia from the Perspective of the Theory of Civilizing Processes. An analysis is presented of developments in the former Yugoslavia since 1985, focusing on the disintegration of the federal state and society, consequences for controlling social violence, and the fate of large groups of people when the state loses its monopoly on violence. Disintegration was due primarily to increased competition between political, military, and intellectual elites under conditions of rapidly changing international relations and power balances. The move toward ethnic nationalism and the readiness to use force led to the end of Yugoslavia. The disintegration of the regular national army, the territorial defense units, and the national police occurred after paralysis hit central headquarters and followed the national political line. Local and regional initiatives were undertaken to obtain power by force. Paramilitary groups appeared on all sides and became responsible for many atrocities. Although much of the violence can be interpreted in terms of specific political war objectives, the concept of decivilization can account for a wider variety of violent phenomena. Adapted from the source document.