The Nature of the War

Abstract

The dynamics of the war in Bosnia can be understood by examining the general objectives of the three warring parties, how they attempted to accomplish them, and the strategic interaction between them during the war. The Bosnian Serb effort is most important, since the Serbs were the initiators of military actions and had by far the largest arsenal of artillery, planes, tanks, and other heavy equipment, supplied primarily by the part of the JNA left in Bosnia after independence was declared, and by the men and materials that continued to come across the border with Serbia. The Bosnian war was by far the largest effort in which the JNA engaged during the period of Yugoslavia’s disintegration, after a brief foray into Slovenia, and a second larger war in Croatia. In Croatia, as in Bosnia, the war was conducted both by the JNA and by irregular paramilitary recruited from the local population. Fighting raged throughout Croatia from the northern areas to the Adriatic port of Dubrovnik.