Presence, ergo protection ? UNPROFOR, UNHCR and the ICRC in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

This article critically examines the myth that the mere presence in the former Yugoslavia of UN troops, UNHCR and the ICRC has provided protection against ethnic cleansing, which has been raised by asylum States and an unwilling international community. The author reviews the reaction of western European States to exodus from former Yugoslavia, the background and roles of UNPROFOR, UNHCR and ICRC, and provides an analysis of the net effects of these measures. She notes that with the closure of access to asylum and international protection, those threatened with displacement have been compelled to remain within their own State and at the mercy of those intent on uprooting them. International efforts to provide local protection through presence have been limited, and ethnic cleansing has continued unabated