ABSTRACT
The failure of the August 1991 coup attempt in the USSR has profoundly altered the security policy map in Europe. The risk of a great East-West military confrontation is rapidly receding. It has been replaced, though, by a whole host of new problems and challenges. The disintegration of what used to be the USSR began as soon as the coup attempt failed. The Baltic states were the first to leave a union imposed on them by Stalin through brutal force and to regain their independence. Yugoslavia has broken apart for good. Serbia is openly and brutally trying to create a Greater Serbia through military force, an outrageous policy of ethnic cleansing and terror. The Yugoslav Army, Belgrade’s instrument during the initial stages of the war, has already a long time ago been complemented by nationalist militias committing without any hesitation the worst atrocities.
