The End of Cold War, the Dissolution of Yugoslavia and Post-Communist Transition Processe in South East Europe

Since the Thessaloniki European Council in 2003, all Western Balkans countries have been, although at different paces, on theri way towards membership in the European Union. In an interdisciplinary approach including the research of historians, political scientists, experts on conflict prevention and peace buildin, economy, and law, this book gives an analysis of the status quo of this process. The developments that led to the disaster are retraced and promisingattempts to overcome this past are described. By now, EU integration has become the central "development and reconcilitiation project" for the region. Yet, manifold problmes - some of them "home-made", others due to external factors - still need to be solved. The future role of the international Community in this process also remains to be definied.