STASIS AMONG POWERS: YUGOSLAV DESTRUCTION AFTER THE COLD WAR A dissertation presented by Mladen Stevan Mrdalj to The Department of Political Science In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Political Science Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts December 2015 STASIS AMONG POWERS: YUGOSLAV DESTRUCTION AFTER THE COLD WAR by Mladen Stevan Mrdalj ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities of Northeastern University December 2015 2 Abstract This research investigates the causes of Yugoslavia’s violent destruction in the 1990’s. It builds its argument on the interaction of international and domestic factors. In doing so, it details the origins of Yugoslav ideology as a fluid concept rooted in the early 19th century Croatian national movement. Tracing the evolving nationalist competition among Serbs and Croats, it demonstrates inherent contradictions of the Yugoslav project. These contradictions resulted in ethnic outbidding among Croatian nationalists and communists against the perceived Serbian hegemony. This dynamic drove the gradual erosion of Yugoslav state capacity during Cold War. The end of Cold War coincided with the height of internal Yugoslav conflict. Managing the collapse of Soviet Union and communism imposed both strategic and normative imperatives on the Western allies. These imperatives largely determined external policy toward Yugoslavia. They incentivized and inhibited domestic actors in pursuit of their goals. The result was the collapse of the country with varying degrees of violence. The findings support further research on international causes of civil wars. 3 Acknowledgements Perhaps the most daunting task in writing this dissertation was to list all the people who supported me in many different ways to get to this point. I dread the possibility of omitting someone and I apologize in advance if that is about to happen. I will blame it on my memory which has, most certainly, been affected by this project. First of all, my gratitude goes to the members of my committee. Prof. Amilcar Barreto has been an insightful mentor and has become a good friend. Prof. Schmitt’s pieces of advice on how to remove the writers’ block and overcome psychological hardships have been most useful. I am grateful for that. Prof. Biermann’s expertise on Yugoslavia and the end of the Cold War helped me feel more secure about my logic and conclusions, even where we disagreed. His help mostly focused on the chapter about the end of the Cold War. All three of my advisors were incredibly patient and kind and I am deeply thankful for their support. My family deserves many apologies for my long absence from their lives. No Skype could replace my physical absence. My mother Donka provided a flawless, rock solid support. My father Stevan provided me with various lessons of fundamental importance. My brother Srđan has never lost his cheerfulness and optimism, which was my major source of inspiration while he valiantly battled numerous obstacles in my absence. I am proud of his achievements, the next one hopefully being to quit smoking. I am sure that it is as difficult as finishing a PhD. My kumovi (Novotni, Ljubojevići, Stanići and Dobričići) as well as cousins in Serbia and Croatia — I am sorry I missed some births and many birthdays, happy and sad occasions. I hope I will be able to make up for that in the future. I would not have made it in the US without Tea Temim. I am forever grateful, proud and happy we forged such a deep friendship. A group of Serbian friends in Boston provided 4 emotional and intellectual support too precious to describe in words. Tamara Pavasović honored me not only with her friendship and intellectual support, but also with being a godfather to her daughter Sofija. Vladimir Bošković effectively helped battle loneliness and nostalgia. Together with Danilo Mandić, they helped me access numerous books and articles that would have otherwise remained inaccessible. I am grateful for Ivana Pavlišin and Moshe Shalcon's friendship that enriched my life in Boston (and New York!). Ivana Đuretić was an irreplaceable member of our group and a great roommate. I would have been even more nostalgic in Boston had it not been for a remarkable group of people affiliated with the Serbian church and folklore group “Gračanica”: Đorđe and Ankica Koldžić, Dunja and Dejan Stanković, Dragana and Marijana Bogavac, Neško and Srđa Nicković, Jelena and Branko Glišović, Dragan Gatarić and all others. Saša Lekić was the first person to extend his hand to me. I am grateful to him and his family, including his uncle Steva. There are people I met at Northeastern who made Boston my second home. Jarvis Chen became something between a brother and a friend. We shared food, problems and joys. The rumor about us also sharing bed is true, but that was solely due to a commuting issue. He is a fountain of inspiration and energy. Ian McManus and Liliya, my best friends among vegetarians (and vice versa), have been a constant source of optimism and good mood. Ian was also the first American I talked to without feeling a cultural barrier, which meant the world to me. Sheila Kohanteb and Nico hosted numerous dinners and get-togethers, filled with their cheerfulness and Sheila’s culinary wizardry. Sheila introduced me to Northeastern’s summer program which enabled me to have a summer income and get free flights to my home. I will never be able to repay her for that. Veronica Czastkiewicz has been an indispensible friend and a colleague. She used to be my favorite Polish-American. She can only blame herself and her wonderful husband 5 Craig for losing the top spot in favor of their beautiful son Mateusz. Tugba and Mustafa Isiker and Duygu Sener always made me feel like home. Gorgeous Ali Isiker is the newest addition to this wonderful team. Claudia Larson’s unique sense of humor will surely make her a stand-up comedy star, if she ever decides to quit academia. It sure did brighten up many of my gloomy days in Boston. David Smith, Jennapher Lunde Seefeldt, Youly Diamanti Kara, Johannes Eijmberts, Dustin Turin, Yipin Wu, Diane Bulpett, Julie Garey, Ben Larsen and Sidita Kushi all have contributed significantly to my great experience in Boston and I thank each and every one of them, sincerely hoping to stay in touch. I would also like to thank the following professors: Gordana Rabrenović, Denis Sullivan, Ioannis Livanis, Denise Garcia, Natalie Bormann, Woody Kay, Liubomir Topaloff and John Portz. Last, but not least, Barbara Chin's administrative skills and human qualities made my life and work easier. I wish her a joyful and healthy life in retirement. I would also like to thank all my former students, too numerous to mention here, but some of them did grow into friends: Cory O’Hayer, Keith Hill, Julia Patten, Becky Gerstein. Sincere apologies to the ones I omitted. Various other people have helped me on different occasions and I would like to acknowledge them here. Late ambassador Thomas P. Melady and his wife Margaret kindly helped me adjust to the American life and culture during my first visit to the U.S. in 2006. Tom passed away not long ago, but I will forever be grateful to his support and mentorship. Tijana Milošević, Marko Klašnja and Pavle Milekić helped me write my applications for graduate studies. Komnenović brothers hosted me numerous times in Washington, D.C. I cherish our friendship despite our ideological and political disagreements. Jovana Mihajlović Trbovc has been a friend and a valuable help, as well as Vladimir Petrović, Marina Ilić and Bojan Milenović. Prof. Dejan Jović from Croatia has been one of the most insightful interlocutors about former 6 Yugoslavia and remains one of the preeminent thinkers on the subject. I learned a lot from him and I take pride in considering him a friend. I am also grateful to Azem Dervišević, whom I met in Boston. We spent countless hours discussing war and politics in Yugoslavia which informed my views on conflict escalation tremendously. Nedim Hogić is a multi-dimensional intelectual force I have been lucky to meet and add to this list. I owe my continued intellectual and emotional evolution to Laura D'Addese. Her contribution to my success is a variable that cannot be properly conceptualized and operationalized. She has set the standards for support, love and care that can hardly be matched by anyone. In the end, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to the memory of Lacey Bradley- Storey. We were both TAing for Liubo Topaloff in the fall of 2009. She was always nice, warm, constructive and humble, bordering shy, but articulate and reliable. She was focusing on Chinese studies, visited China several times for her research and even spoke Chinese. Following her divorce, she transformed into a self-confident, stylish woman, which was an amazing thing to witness. Lacey shared her profound knowledge about problems in North-South relations within the U.S. which I found shocking and unforgettable. Her dissertation and overall competences were so great that she got a job in Washington, D.C. even before finishing her program at Northeastern. We were about to meet one time in Washington, but she had cancelled because of a tremendous headache. It turned out that the headache was a consequence of a car-accident from a couple of months before. Few days later, she passed away. Her passing deeply saddened me. She had great things lined up for her. She deserved all of them yet did not get a chance.