Throughout the 1990's the republics of the Former Yugoslavia fought a civil war resulting in the worst atrocities seen on European soil since World War II. The international community stood idly by while combatants in Slovenia and, especially, Croatia used techniques such as concentration camps, torture, rape, and murder to attain their goals of \"ethnically pure\" societies. Despite intervening in the conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992-1995 and in Kosovo from 1998-1999, thousands suffered on an even greater scale than before. When the republic of Montenegro, still under the oppressive rule of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, began making moves towards independence, again the international community decided that inaction was not an option. With significant arbitration led by the European Union, Serbia and Montenegro peacefully agreed to forming a loose union and delaying any efforts to create independent states. It is critical to understand why intervention worked in this case and not in the previous attempts with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. Believing that international actors can affect state behavior without considering other factors can result in faulty policy decisions and not achieve the desired outcomes.

Subjects: Yugoslav War, 1991-1995.; Serbia and Montenegro; Yugoslavia; independence; nationalism; material interests; European Union; ICTY;