Sample Essay on Effects of the Croatian War of Independence

Effects of the Croatian War of Independence can be understood better by considering the aftermath of the war. The immediate effect of the war was a high number of refugees and casualties. Most sources indicate the number of people who died from the war as about 20,000. Croatian authorities state that about 12,000 Croatians were killed or they went missing. This includes 4,508 civilians and 6,788 soldiers.

The official list of 1996 indicated that about 35,000 people were wounded. Goldstein stated that 13,583 people were killed or they went missing. Other sources indicate that about 15,970 people were killed with around 2,400 were reported as missing. The exact number of casualties from the war is not known.

Another effect of the Croatian War of Independence was the massive damage of properties. According to the Croatian officials, about 180 housing units were destroyed in 1996. Croatia suffered material damage worth US$27 during the war. 25 percent of the economy of Croatia was destroyed during the war. Infrastructural damage that occurred in Croatia is estimated to be about US$37 billion.

There were also refugee-related expenses and economic outputs that were lost as a result of the Croatian War of Independence. The GDP of Croatia declined by 21 percent during the war and it took time to recover after the war. Structures that form the cultural heritage of Croatia were also destroyed. These include 495 sacral structured which were damaged or destroyed. Additional economic expenses were incurred in the military expenditures. As of 1994, Croatia had turned to a de facto economy at war with the military consuming about 60 percent of the overall government spending.

There were also many war crimes and ICTY had to be established. The cities of Croatia were destroyed by missiles, aircraft bombs, and artillery. Setting up mines also occurred with about 2 million mines being laid during the war. These did not have a specific pattern or record of their position. One decade after this war, about 250 mines were still buried in the front lines of the war. Over 1,900 people have been injured or killed by these land mines after the war.

The war led to the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia simply known as the ICTY by the United Nations Security Council. This tribunal has the power and mandate to prosecute individuals who are responsible for seriously violating the humanitarian law, customs, or laws of war and Geneva conventions as well as a crime against humanity and committing genocide.

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Online Sources:

http://www.studiacroatica.org/jcs/28/2807.htm

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/04/20-years-since-the-bosnian-war/100278/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_War_of_Independence