SFOR - History of Bosnia and Herzegovina

History of Bosnia and Herzegovina
from the origins to 1992

A lot of soldiers serving here believe Bosnia and Herzegovina is a young state, created by the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) at the end of 1995. The truth is quite different. BiH has a long and distinguished history. The history if BiH is outlined briefly below in 6 chapters covering the period from the third century BC to 1992.

Chapter 1: From the Origins through the End of the First Millennium
Chapter 2: From the millennium to the Battle of Kosovo Polje
Chapter 3: At the cross-roads of the religions
Chapter 4: The Austro-Hungarian Era in Bosnia
Chapter 5: Birth and Suffering of Yugoslavia
Chapter 6: From the end of WWII to 1992
Bosnia and Herzegovina in ten flags

Suggested reading:

General Framework Agreement for Peace. The Dayton Proximity Talks culminated in the initialing of a General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) in August 1995. The text of the GFAP is at http://www.nato.int/ifor/gfa/gfa-home.htm.

The Fall of Yugoslavia by Misha Glenny, Penguin Books, London, 1996. This book covers events in the Former Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1996.

To End a War by Richard Holbrooke, Random House, New York, 1999. These very readable and critically acclaimed memoirs cover the diplomacy behind the Dayton talks, the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) and the background to the Implementation Force (IFOR), the forerunner to the Stabilisation Force (SFOR).

Bosnia, A Short History by Noel Malcolm, Macmillan, London, 1996. This is a highly respected history of Bosnia from 1180 until 1995.

The Death of Yugoslavia by Laura Silber and Allan Little, Penguin Books, London 1996. This is a very clear book covering the period 1986 to 1995. It was written to accompany a BBC television series.

Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia by Rebecca West, Penguin Books, New York, 1982. This is a chronicle of Rebecca West's travels in the Former Yugoslavia in 1937 with insightful digressions into the history, politics and culture of the region.

The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric, translated by Lovett F. Edwards, University of Chicago Press, 1977. This historical novel earned its author, a former distinguished Yugoslavian diplomat, the Nobel Prize for literature in 1961. It conveys much of the history, culture and politics of the Balkans.