Yale prof talks on Yugoslav civil war

Clarifying the issues surrounding the current civil war in Yugoslavia, Yale University Professor Ivo Banac explained the history and causes of the conflict in a two-hour lecture in the Annenberg School Wednesday. Banac began his speech by giving historical background on Yugoslavia in order to shed light on the problems the country is facing today. He then went on to speak about the current conflict in Yugoslavia between the individual republics by summarizing the underlying issues. "The essence of the Yugoslav question is of a nationalistic nature," Banac said. Throughout his lecture, he referred to this idea of nationalistic conflict. The dispute is a result of conflicting ideologies between the republics in Yugoslavia -- the Serbs, Croats, and several others. In addition, with the recent fall of Communism, the different nations are trying to snatch up as much land as they can. "It is a scramble for territory in the disintegrating Yugoslavic state by the different nations," Banac said. Banac ended his lecture by offering solutions to the problem. He said that each nationality present in Yugoslavia needs to be recognized. "The liberation of Yugoslavia would only occur if all people and nationalities were liberated," Banac said. "The individuality of each constituent nation must be recognized." Banac then fielded questions from the audience about the civil war in Yugoslavia and the possible ramifications. Most of the 25 students at the lecture said they appreciated Banac's insight into the topic and found the lecture very timely. "Dr. Banac proves that the current crisis in Yugoslavia must be understood within an historical framework," said College junior Benjamin Greenberg. "The ethnic strife in that country is not new and he examined the long history of this conflict." College senior Wai-Sum Lee said she also enjoyed the lecture, but wished more people had come. "It's a shame more students didn't show," she said.

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