Study Guide
Current Events
Questions for Discussion
- Religion certainly played a role in Balkan history and war. Can you think of another example in recent history where religion played a political role?
- You are the press spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State. A reporter has just asked you why the U.S. got involved so deeply in the Balkans and not in Rwanda or East Timor, other regions which have seen ethnic genocide in the recent past. How do you respond?
- Locate Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia on a globe or world map. What other countries and waterways are they near? Why do you think they are geographically important to the rest of the world?
- Over one week, record how the U.S. news media (TV, radio, print) cover any of the following places: Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo. How does the coverage differ between the three types of media? Where are these stories placed in the context of other news? Why do you think that is?
Group Activity
Role Play: It has recently been reported that fighting has resumed in Macedonia between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians. There are reports that both Serbs and Albanians from Kosovo and Bosnian Croats are involved behind the scenes, with the Serbs supporting the Macedonians and the Bosnian Croats and Kosovar Albanians supporting the Macedonian Albanians. Caught in the crossfire, several American aid workers have been kidnapped and some journalists have been killed. All non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Skopje are being evacuated and there are serious concerns that the fighting could spread in the region. The United Nations has been holding emergency sessions and has passed a resolution that would send more peacekeepers to Macedonia. Concerned about European entanglements in the Balkans, the Department of State recommends that the the U.S. take the lead in the peacekeeping mission. But U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq has military resources stretched thin. Students will take on the role of congressional representatives and debate whether additional U.S. peacekeepers should be sent to the Balkans (either through redeployment or reinstating the draft).