Invented Wars: An analysis of the causal role of Serbian ethnic nationalism on the Yugoslav Wars

The Yugoslav Wars have been widely perceived as the epitome of post-Cold War ethnic conflicts. Instigated by a Serbian offensive, the rampant ethnic violence that characterised the conflict still poses questions to existing scholarly understandings of ethnic nationalism and its violent potential. This article argues that the brutality of the conflict was fuelled by a collective anxiety incited by Serbian nationalism. Using a constructivist framework, this article analyses how Serbian nationalism created an ethnic identity rooted in historical injustice and oppression. Serbian nationalists framed other ethnic groups as imminent threats to the community by disseminating concerns about their genocidal intentions. This ethnic antagonism was primarily directed towards Croats and Kosovo Albanians, who endured the most severe ethnic violence during the Yugoslav Wars. This article will demonstrate how Serbian nationalist sentiments exploited structural opportunities of the political vacuum and economic recession to shape political discourse and incite violence. Using the securitisation theory, this article illustrates how Serbian nationalism distorted the rational assessment of security threats, leading to the securitisation of other ethnic communities. Ultimately, this article argues that Serbia’s aggression in the Yugoslav Wars was the direct result of Serbian nationalism’s ideology of fear.