Diplomacy on the edge : containment of ethnic conflict and the minorities working group of the conferences on Yugoslavia / Geert-Hinrich Ahrens.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 613-619) and indexes.

1. The ethnicities of Yugoslavia in 1991 -- 2. The conferences on Yugoslavia -- 3. The Minorities Working Group -- 4. Three parameters for a solution -- 5. Croats and Serbs -- 6. The Carrington Conference and Croatia (1991-1992) -- 7. Stagnation (1993-1995) -- 8. From the Z-4 plan back to war (1995) 160 -- 9. After the "storm" (1995-1996) -- 10. Bosnia and Herzegovina -- 11. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia -- 12. Sandzak -- 13. Vojvodina -- 14. Albanians of Montenegro and southern Serbia -- 15. Albanians and Slavs until 1945 -- 16. Kosovo in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945-1991) -- 17. The Carrington Conference : standstill (1991-1991) -- 18. Negotiations at last (1992-1993) -- 19. Disruption of mediation, last attempt, and aftermath (1993-1999) -- 20. Macedonia and its four neighbors -- 21. The Carrington Conference and the Albanian problem (1991-1992) -- 22. Macedonia's other minorities -- 23. The ICFY and the Albanian problem (1992-1996) -- 24. Neglect and its consequences (1996-2001) -- 25. Results : the Former Yugoslavia in 2004 -- 26. Crisis assessment and intervention -- 27. Interaction with the Yugoslavs -- 28. Unity and disunity -- 29. Negotiators, negotiations, and their limits -- Conclusions : future tasks and lessons learned.

"With the ongoing war crimes trials, the yet unsettled status of Kosovo, and the odd assortment of new states struggling to create, reorder, and maintain political institutions, economies, and societies, the countries of the former Yugoslavia continue to challenge not only themselves but also the international community. Diplomacy on the Edge tells about the international efforts to mediate the political, economic, and social climate of these countries in 1991-2004, when some of the struggles were deadly. It adds to the literature on peacemaking and offers an important reflection on the future of the Balkans." "The book focuses on the years 1991-96 and on the activities of the Minorities Working Group of the Conference on Yugoslavia, headed by the author. The Working Group was the principal UN and European Community diplomatic effort to grapple with ethnic conflicts in the Croatian Krajina, Kosovo, Macedonia, and southern Serbia. Ahrens also provides the general history of the conflicts and brings the story through 2004."--BOOK JACKET.