Yugoslavia didn’t just fall apart overnight—it was torn apart by rising nationalism, propaganda, and calculated violence. In this Ripples of Rebels episode, we look at the unraveling of a country once held together by diversity, and how that collapse led to the Bosnian Wars, the siege of Sarajevo, and the genocide in Srebrenica.

We break down who Ratko Mladić was, now 83 yrs old, earned the name “Butcher of Bosnia,” and the war crimes that landed him in The Hague. You’ll hear quotes from refugees and survivors who lived through shelling, starvation, and mass executions—and meet the resistance leaders who risked everything to protect their communities.

This isn’t just history for history’s sake. The tactics used in the 1990s Balkans—ethnic scapegoating, disinformation, and targeting of civilians—are the same warning signs we see in today’s global politics. If you care about spotting authoritarianism before it turns deadly, this episode will give you the context you need.

Learn More:

* FRONTLINE (PBS) — The Trial of Ratko Mladić (documentary & transcript).

* International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia — Case page & Trial Judgement (Ratko Mladić).

* Human Rights Watch — Bosnia-Hercegovina reports (1994–1995).

* United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Bosnia eyewitness testimony.

* Srebrenica Memorial & Survivor Stories.

* Amnesty International — Srebrenica anniversary briefings and analysis.

* The Guardian archive — reporting on the Siege of Sarajevo and Srebrenica.

* Quo Vadis, Aida? (film) — interviews and commentary (context on art as witness).

Citations:

* International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Case Information Sheet: Mladić (IT‑09‑92). ICTY, https://www.icty.org/en/case/mladic.

* “The Trial of Ratko Mladić.” FRONTLINE, PBS, 19 Mar. 2019, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/the-trial-of-ratko-mladic/.

* Human Rights Watch. Bosnia-Hercegovina: The Massacre at Srebrenica and the Struggle for Justice, HRW reports (1993–1995), https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/b/bosnia/bosnia95o.pdf.

* “Srebrenica: Survivor Stories.” Remembering Srebrenica, https://srebrenica.org.uk/survivor-stories/.

* United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Eyewitness Testimony — Bosnia and Herzegovina.” USHMM, https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/countries/bosnia-herzegovina/eyewitness-testimony.

* Amnesty International. “Bosnia and Herzegovina: 25th Anniversary of Srebrenica Massacre,” 2020.

* The Guardian. “The Siege of Sarajevo — archive, 1993,” The Guardian archive.

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