The United States, Europe, and Russia in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s

Abstract

Using neorealist, neoliberal and constructivist theories of international relations this thesis qualifies U.S., European and Russian involvement in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Analyzing American, European and Russian interactions regarding both the Bosnian War and the Kosovo War, we evaluate the predictive power of the three international relations theories regarding each actor’s policies. We conclude that constructivism’s notion of national identities best explains the policies that drove the three actors’ policies toward Yugoslavia during the 1990s. Finally, using the lessons of Yugoslavia, we conclude by offering policy implications for America’s statesmen regarding similar, ethnicity based, conflicts.