The David McWilliams Podcast

When the West Woke Up: How Yugoslavia Fell Apart


Listen Later

This week, we take you back to the final years of Yugoslavia, a country that exploded into one of the bloodiest wars Europe has seen since WWII. We trace how ethnic tensions, decades of suppressed rivalries, and opportunistic leaders tore the region apart, while Europe watched on, paralysed. We explore how the Serb army launched brutal assaults across Croatia and Bosnia, committing acts of ethnic cleansing that left over 100,000 Bosnians dead, often at the hands of their own neighbours. For years, the West hesitated. But after a dramatic shift in Washington, the U.S. stepped in, arming the Croats, launching air strikes, and ultimately brokering the Dayton Accords to end the war. In this episode, we follow the story from Vukovar to Sarajevo, from Belgrade backroom deals to Clinton’s White House. We explain how Croatia won the war but lost nearly a million people to emigration, how Serbia suffered the worst hyperinflation ever recorded, and how Slovenia quietly became the EU’s success story, set to overtake the UK in GDP per capita within five years. We also reflect on the strange persistence of empire: Russia still backs Serbia, Turkey stands with Bosnia, and the West never really forgot its favourites.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The David McWilliams PodcastBy David McWilliams & John Davis

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

213 ratings


More shows like The David McWilliams Podcast

View all
The Last Word with Matt Cooper by Today FM

The Last Word with Matt Cooper

66 Listeners

The Second Captains Podcast by Second Captains

The Second Captains Podcast

176 Listeners

The Pat Kenny Show by Newstalk

The Pat Kenny Show

49 Listeners

Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan by The Irish Times

Inside Politics with Hugh Linehan

143 Listeners

Irish Times Inside Business by The Irish Times

Irish Times Inside Business

17 Listeners

The Left Wing by Irish Independent

The Left Wing

59 Listeners

Brendan O'Connor by RTÉ Radio 1

Brendan O'Connor

72 Listeners

Crime World by Sunday World

Crime World

240 Listeners

The Other Hand by Jim Power & Chris Johns

The Other Hand

42 Listeners

In The News by The Irish Times

In The News

47 Listeners

The Indo Daily by Irish Independent

The Indo Daily

115 Listeners

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning by Gold Hat Productions

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning

76 Listeners

Path to Power by Matt Cooper & Ivan Yates

Path to Power

30 Listeners

Ask About Wealth by Ask About Wealth

Ask About Wealth

1 Listeners

Indo Sport by Irish Independent

Indo Sport

55 Listeners