Difference Between Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide
(1) With respect to the war in Bosnia, please discuss the difference between ethnic cleansing and genocide as committed in Srebrenica. How useful is the distinction between these two terms and when did ethnic cleansing turn to genocide? (2) With the help of Kim Allar’s interview with Admiral Lopez, please think about the limits and challenges of Western intervention in Bosnia. One of his main points suggests that such a peacekeeping force needs to be adequately equipped and endowed with a robust mandate. How does that differ from earlier mandates for example for the UN safe zone such as in Srebrenica? (3) Much of the literature on Bosnia (and my introductory lecture) focus on the responsibility of leaders such as Slobodan Miloevi? for inciting violence to expand their own power. Keith Brown’s perspective is different in that he focuses on incidents such as in Vevcani from which public debates ensued that reinforced ethnic stereotypes laying the groundwork for ethnic strife. Please discuss Dr. Brown’s approach and with it the question of where ethnic hatred came from in a country with a high degree of intermarriage and 45 years of peace after WWII. (4) Please engage Selma Leydesdorff’s work on the Women of Srebrenica to discuss the trauma her interview partners experienced and shared with her. Which emotions result from this trauma, what are the women’s prime motivations in sharing their stories, and how does it impact you, the readers today, to hear these stories?
