Il ruolo della NATO in Europe in seguito allo sviluppo della Politica di Sicurezza e Difesa Comune. The role of NATO in Europe after the emergence of the Common Foreign and Security Policy

The EC and UN combined civilian and normative missions came to an evident failure: negotiations did not provide any success and the persistence of crimes and brutal strife resulted as a sign of weakness. Europe and the UN lost their credibility in the Balkans. But the new formed EU had to do something. How could a prosperous, wealthy and democratic Europe survive with its near South-eastern neighbourhood suppressed by brutal warfare and ethnic cleansings? Would it affect the peace, progress and unity that underpinned the EU? All of these were risky scenarios that would materialize if the Balkans’ problems were not effectively tackled. A military intervention was likely to end the crisis. In the light of the EU and UN shortcomings, it came the time that Brussels turned to the US.

NATO’s involvement in Bosnia officially began in early 1992 when President Bush decided to respond to the pressure of the UN and its European allies. However, at a first stage, American support was only limited to a unilateral deployment of air and naval forces in the Adriatic Sea to be used as a sort of deterrent, a kind of “show of force”. US strategy towards Bosnia saw a dramatic change after Bill Clinton was elected President on 3 November 1992. The new President was more committed towards Bosnia and more decided to solve the crisis, although his disappointment for an incapable EU to solve the problems in its “backyard” was pointed out in all his speech. Yet, NATO’s engagement increased progressively, thus starting its first out-of-area military mission: it established a no-fly zone on March 1993, in November first missiles were launched with the unilateral decision to destroy Serbs heavy weapons camps, and full bombing campaign started after the Serb attack of Sarajevo’s major market on February 1994.

At this time two radical changes occurred: the end of the Croat-Muslim war and the following constitution of the Muslim-Croat Bosnian Federation. Thanks to the negotiation of US Presidency, the belligerent warlords signed the peace agreement and on March 1994 this officially created the Muslim-Croat Federation within Bosnia. After the Serbs all-out attack against Srebrenica – inhabited by Muslim population – which caused the death of around 8,000 people, and the subsequent bombings by NATO warplanes in July 1995, the war came to an end. A sixty-day ceasefire was proclaimed by Clinton on 5 October, followed by resolute negotiations at the American Air Force Base in Dayton, after which the parts agreed to sign the Dayton Peace Agreement.