In recent months, some of the most horrid, frightening and seemingly senseless fighting has been going on in the Balkans as Yugoslavia is being ripped apart. Lately, fighting has centered in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is wreaking havoc on the citizens of that area. “In six short weeks, the toll stands at 2,225 dead, 2,500 missing, 8,000 wounded in hospitals, 930,000 people made homeless, countless towns and villages ransacked, blasted and torched, and between $60 billion and $100 billion in property destroyed” (New York Times May 24, 1992).
This has all occurred in an area populated by 4.4 million people that, until this year, was held out as a model of a peaceful, multicultural society. If the same percentages of harm and destruction were to occur in the United States, 53 million people would be homeless and 300,000 dead and missing.
The fighting is so severe that the United Nations peacekeeping force left the war zone for the relative safety of Belgrade. They left because there was no peace to keep. A peacekeeping force of 14,400 people, 80 vehicles and much communications equipment was unable to maintain even a partial cease-fire.
Hoping to force a cease-fire in the area, the United Nations Security Council voted 13-0 on May 30 to impose trade sanctions against what exists of Yugoslavia (mainly Serbia). The sanctions included the banning of air travel and oil shipments. Despite all of these efforts, the fighting continues with the primary combatants being ethnic Serbs against Croatians.
For fighting of this magnitude to sustain itself through trade embargoes, international sanctions and peacekeeping efforts, all levels of the societies must remain committed to a cause. What is the cause? A brief review of the history of the general area will shed light on the animosity that exists today.
Historical overview
From 650 B.C. until 350 A.D. the people of the Balkans lived together harmoniously, carving out an existence primarily from farming. In the fourth century A.D., a split occurred in the Roman Empire between the east and the west. The initial demarcation line between east and west ran directly through modern day Yugoslavia (The Atlas of World History Handbook, Vol. 1, pg. 102).
While the Orthodox church controlled both the area and people of Serbia, the Roman church controlled the area and people of Croatia. “The Croats are mostly Roman Catholic, unlike their closely related neighbors, the Serbs, who are Eastern Orthodox. The Croats speak Serbo-Croatian, writing it with Roman characters, rather than Cyrillic characters as the Serbs do” (Grolier’ s Encyclopedia). “The Serbs and Croats are of the same racial stock and speak a single language, but because of nationalistic antagonisms deeply rooted in history they often exaggerate the minor regional differences in an attempt to prove that there are two languages” (Encyclopedia Britannica article on Serbo-Croatian language).
Two churches
Over the centuries, differences between the neighboring areas increased and fighting has persisted. “Mounting disputes between East and West reached a climax in 1054 A.D., when mutual anathemas were exchanged. The sacking of Constantinople by the fourth crusade (1204) intensified Eastern hostility toward the West. Attempts at reconciliation at the councils of Lyon (1274) and Florence (1438-39) were unsuccessful. When the papacy defined itself as infallible (1870), the gulf between East and West grew wider” (Grolier’ s Encyclopedia).
Ongoing division
The gulf between the two churches continues to exist. For example, last year Pope John Paul II met with the Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church (one of seven Orthodox Bishops, including the Serbian bishop) in hopes of reconciling the two churches. Despite this initiative, progress toward a reconciliation was not made. The Orthodox hierarchy remains firm in its resolve to recognize the Pope as nothing more than an equal bishop, the bishop of Rome.
Developments this century
Yugoslavia was formed by the great powers following World War I. Almost immediately, however, trouble began between the Croats and Serbs. This climaxed in June 20, 1928 when, during a debate in the Yugoslavian parliament, a Serbian nationalist “shot two Croatian members dead and mortally wounded Radic (Croatian leader) himself…the breach between Croatia and Serbia was complete” (Ency. Brit., article on Yugoslavia).
Continuing in this same article, we come across the immediate reason for the ongoing savagery. During World War II, with German encouragement, “the Croatian Fascists began a massacre of Serbs which, in the whole annals of World War II, was surpassed for savagery only by the mass extermination of Polish Jews.” About 750,000 Serbs were slaughtered in the most vicious manner. As the war proceeded, the fratricidal massacres of Serbs by Croatian Fascists was followed by one “of Croats and Muslims by Serbian nationalists.”
Most current residents of the area were affected by these horrors and have only awaited the opportunity to exact vengeance. Thus, a centuries-old division caused by religious differences has led to the headlines we see today.
Daniel’s prophecy
As Bible students, we understand that the legs in the image portrayed in Daniel 2 represent the eastern and western sections of the Roman Empire. That division is obviously still very much present today.
Undoubtedly, the present conflict in the Balkans will end and the two ethnic groups will settle back into an uneasy co-existence. But the events serve once again to draw attention to the revealed plan of God.
Christ’s return is very near. From the Roman power depicted by Daniel’s visions, a great leader will arise who will glorify himself and wage war with the Lamb. “He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power” (Dan. 8:24-25 NIV).
We look forward to that day and pray that it might come quickly.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One