ABSTRACT
As the political tensions unfolded in Yugoslavia from the late 1990s onwards the international community did not initially involve itself to a great degree. It was more pre-occupied with other major international problems, notably the impending collapse of the Soviet Union and the Gulf War against Iraq. Indeed, it was only after the secessions of Slovenia and Croatia in late June 1991 that any significant steps were taken to contain and control what had by then evolved beyond a political crisis into a military crisis of significant magnitude. The principal international institution involved in Yugoslavia’s break-up, at least in the initial stages, was the European Community (EC).
