ABSTRACT
Humanitarian action played a vital and politically significant part in the international response to the fighting and persecution that accompanied the disintegration of the old order in Yugoslavia. This chapter discusses the main characteristics of the humanitarian operation and draws lessons for future crisis management. Humanitarian action in former Yugoslavia was multi-faceted, constrained by unprecedented obstruction and manipulation, and plagued by many dilemmas. The humanitarian operation targeted all populations affected by the conflict, whether they were trapped in besieged towns, on the move inside their own countries, or fleeing abroad. The obstruction of the airlift is symbolic of the manner in which aid was used as a weapon of war. It is well known that the humanitarian operation in Bosnia faced a continuous erosion of 'humanitarian space' in an extremely politicized context. The chapter ends with some observations regarding the return of refugees and displaced persons as envisaged under the Dayton Peace Accord.
