The Short and Brutish Life of Republika Srpska Krajina: Failure of a De Facto State

It is extremely difficult for a state to survive without international recognition; even so, some de facto states have been established and continue to exist. Others do not, and have been wiped off the face of the earth again. This article looks at one failed de facto state, the breakaway Serb Republic of Krajina (RSK) that existed for five years (1991-1995), before it was overrun by Croatian armed forces in Operation Storm. What did RSK do wrong that the surviving de facto states do right? Research has shown that in order to survive de facto states must have a patron that will protect them and supply them with financial and other resources; in addition, they must engage in state-building (the establishment of functioning state institutions) and in nation-building (fostering patriotism and a common national identity). RSK failed on all three scores. The Krajina leaders did initially enjoy the backing of the Milosevic regime, but fell out with it and lost that support. Rather than build strong state institutions they pilfered the state and allowed the society to slide into anarchy. Finally, they never made any attempt to create a sense of separate RSK identity linked to the state. RSK was presented only as the westernmost outpost of Serbdom, and as a temporary structure pending the unification of all Serbs in one state. This is not the stuff successful de facto states are made of.