Croatia
Background
In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. After World War II, Yugoslavia became an independent communist state under the strong hand of Marshal Tito. In June 1991, the Croatian Parliament passed a declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. A six-month civil war followed with the Serbian-dominated Yugoslavian army. The war claimed thousands of lives and wrought mass destruction. A cease-fire was arranged in early 1992. The UN Security Council sent a 14,000-member peacekeeping force to monitor the cease-fire and protect the minority Serbs in Croatia. In a 1993 referendum the Serb-occupied portion of Croatia (Krajina) resoundingly voted for integration with Serbs in Bosnia and Serbia proper. Although the Zagreb government and representatives of Krajina signed a cease-fire in March 1994, further negotiations broke down. In a lightning-quick operation, the Croatian army retook western Slavonia in May 1995. In August the central Croatian region of Krajina, held by Serbs, was returned to Zagreb's control.
Announcing on television in 1999 that “national issues are more important than democracy,” President Tudjman continued to alienate Croatians with his authoritarian rule, out-of-touch nationalism, and disastrous handling of the war-shattered economy. In late 1999, Tudjman died. At the time, Croatia was in shambles. Its citizens suffered from government-backed attacks on their civil and political rights. The then-governing party, the HDZ, was corrupt and the economy was in difficulties. Tudjman was succeeded by Stipe Mesic, a reformer. One of his first acts in office was to invite back the 300,000 ethnic Serbs who had been banished from the country under Tudjman.
By early 2003 Croatia had made sufficient progress to apply for EU membership, becoming the second former Yugoslav republic after Slovenia to do so. President Mesic won a second five-year term as president in January 2005. It is a largely ceremonial role; the president proposes the prime minister but parliament has the power to approve the nomination. The president also has powers to dissolve parliament and call elections.
President Mesic invited Ivo Sanader, leader of the right-wing Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), to form a government following elections in November 2003 in which the HDZ won 66 out of the 152 seats in parliament. Sanader insists that his party has undergone major change since he took over from Tudjman, and now describes it as a traditional conservative party. He has pledged commitment to democracy and the rule of law as well as to upholding human rights and promoting a free market economy. He has said that EU and Nato membership are the top priority in foreign policy.
Relations with neighboring states have normalized somewhat since the breakup of Yugoslavia. Efforts at political and economic cooperation in the region have been based in part upon the new Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe. Outstanding issues with neighboring countries include border disputes with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Montenegro.
There are no known direct threats to expatriate visitors or residents in Croatia, which is slowly recovering from the turmoil of the early 1990s.
If traveling outside the normal tourist resorts be aware that unexploded mines remain in areas affected by the war with the Yugoslav army (ended in 1995). These areas include:
eastern Slovenia (Vukovar, Osijek); the border zone with Serbia-Montenegro, notably south of Dubrovnik around Konavle; the quadrilateral around Bosanska Dubica, Virovitica, Slatina, and Bosanska Gradiska; the quadrilateral around Sinj, Gospic, Zadar, Sibenik; and zones around the routes of Zagreb-Karlovac-Plitvice-Gracac-Zadar, Gracac-Knin-Split, Karlobag-Sibenik-Ston and Karlovac-Sisak-Bosanska Gradiska.
