“THEY FINALLY REALIZED WHO MILOŠEVIĆ IS”: CROATIA AND THE NATO INTERVENTION IN FR YUGOSLAVIA 1999

Abstract

This article analyzes the views on the intervention from the perspective of different actors in one of the states in the region, Croatia. Drawing on the national media archives as well as president Tuđman’s archive, the paper focuses on the views of the following actors: (i) the media and the public, (ii) state officials, (iii) the opposition, and (iv) ethnic minorities. This allows for an exploration of a variety of positions, views and different interests which motivated reactions ranging from wholehearted support to reluctance, and even opposition to the intervention among different actors. The continuous media support for the intervention, shared by the ruling party and opposition at the beginning of the intervention later turned into reluctance on the side of the government, which became concerned with the intervention’s consequences and potential negative impact. The paper concludes by contrasting the emotional satisfaction among the intervention’s supporters with the political and economic concerns regarding the destabilizing effects of the intervention for the Croatian regime, pointing out the complex relations and ties among countries in the region and their citizens.