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Islamic Republic of Bosnia
Islamska Republika Bosne
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday

OTL equivalent: Bosnia
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Location of Islamic Republic of Bosnia
In the blue
Capital Sarajevo
Largest city Sarajevo
Other cities Banja Luka, Novi Pazar, Tuzla, Zenica
Language
  official
 
Bosnian
  others Arabic, Serbian
Ethnic Group 80% Bosnians, 15% Serbs, 4% others
Government Islamic Republic
President Haris Silajdžić
Area Approx. 41,000 km2
Population est 2,980,000 
Established March 22nd, 1989
Currency Bosnian Dinar

The Islamic Republic of Bosnia is a country in South-Eastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, bordering South Slavia to the east and Croatia to the west.

History[]

Pre-Doomsday History[]

Bosnia has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Being under the Romans, later becoming an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, and then being under the Ottomans and Austrohungarians, until the assasination of Sarajevo, After WW1, it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later being the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and on WW2, being incorporated to the NDH and hosting resistance movements at Tuzla, that was liberated from the German occupiers on 2 October 1943 by the Titoist partisans.

After that, it became the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, under the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Doomsday[]

At Doomsday, Sarajevo wasn´t nuked, but the SR of Bosnia and Herzegovina got a halt on the construction of the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympic Games, that were almost finished by that month. Branko Mikulić, the Chairmen of the Presidency at the moment, tried to avoid a nationalist uprising, as tensions were being rising between Bosniaks and Serbians, after the death of Josip Broz Tito and the Sarajevo Process.

The Sarajevo process centered on convicting Alija Izetbegović for writing "The Islamic Declaration", a literary work which was in the Yugoslav communist regime considered a radical approach towards socialist ideals of former Yugoslavia that were based on suppression of nationalism and any violation of that doctrine was punishable by law. Such trials in the communist regime were quite common and a typical practice of suppressing the right to free speech. Bosnian politicians used this practice to reaffirm their political opposition to Serbian nationalist tendencies.

The process also backfired as the Serbian lobby insisted that Bosnia was a "dark nation" where all those who oppose the government will be prosecuted, where Bosnian Muslim communists were prosecuting Muslim believers. That kind of propaganda attracted many Bosnian Muslims to their way of thinking. Others were interpreting the Sarajevo process as a way of removing the political amateurs who could end up disrupting the process of Bosnian independence.

In April 1983, Alija Izetbegović and twelve other Bosniak activists (including Melika Salihbegović, Edhem Bičakčić, Omer Behmen, Mustafa Spahić and Hasan Čengić) were tried before a Sarajevo court for a variety of charges called "offences as principally hostile activity inspired by Bosnian nationalism, association for purposes of hostile activity and hostile propaganda". Izetbegović was further accused of organizing a visit to a Muslim congress in Iran. All of those tried were convicted and Izetbegović was sentenced to fourteen years in prison.

Ljubljana Accords[]

Evstafiev-sarajevo-building-burns

The Bosnian Parliament, damaged by the fighting in Sarajevo.

The country of Bosnia was formed on March 22nd, 1989, during the final day of the Ljubljana Accords. It was agreed upon that the new country would be put under protection by the Alpine countries, which would soon become the Alpine Confederation, to ensure that neither Croatia or Serbia violate the sovereign borders of the newly created country. The country was named the Islamic Republic of Bosnia, so as to highlight the majority Muslim population of the country. Religious freedoms were given to other minorities in the country, however, mainly to the left over Serbian population.

Increasing Religious Identification[]

BosniaMosqueLG

The first officially recognized mosque in Bosnia.

Over the years since its independence, Muslim Bosnians have started to increasingly identify themselves with Islam, as religion, which was discouraged during the Yugoslavian regime, was flourishing among the populace. With this also came an extremist group of Muslims, angered by the loss of territories perceived as Bosnian and thus a Bosnian irredentist movement was formed, demanding territories lost. The Radical Islamic Party was formed shortly thereafter, in 1994. They would soon form a significant part of the IRB's Parliament, shaping politics in the country.

Second Yugoslav War[]

Following months of heightened tensions after the coup of June 15th, 2011, and numerous border incursions, Serbian forces invaded Bosnia on November 10th.

Making significant advances into Bosnia, occupying large areas of the country and parts of the capital. Serbian forces almost caused the collapse of the Islamic Republic. However, as they faced reverses elsewhere and events made them deploy more troops to their own frontiers, the Serbs were stopped by Bosnian soldiers for a few weeks, though not before they pocketed half of the Bosnian Army around the city of Tuzla. Eventually, however, the Serbs were on the move again.

A Macedonian counter-offensive in early 2012 caused a temporary halt in Serbian operations as they shifted forces to stop the attack. Concurrent with the Macedonian offensive, the Bosnian Army launched a counterattack of its own. It, however, accomplished little beyond retaking the city of Zenica temporarily, and making the Serbians shift their troops somewhat, allowing the pocket some respite from Serbian pressure. Gains, however, were extremely temporary, lasting only a week.

In late January, Macedonia was able to redeploy large numbers of their forces from the Greek border after reaching an agreement with the Greek government, meaning another moment of Serbian weakness - and another counterattack by the Bosnian Army. Slightly more successful, they managed to get a small land route into the pocket established for two weeks before Serbian forces cut it back off.

However, this drew the attention of the Serbian commanders, who sent reinforcements - really putting Bosnian forces near the capital, and in the pocket, in a vise. But it left an opportunity - there was weaker areas of the line. Needing a distraction, they launched a fairly desperate attack at Serbian lines near Zenica - and while it did not get far, they succeeded in one thing: surrounding Zenica. With little supplies, it lasted a week, through failed attempts at relief, before surrendering. This brought some respite, overall, to the Bosnians.

But it was the entry of Partium, Rhodope, and Transylvania into the the war on April 6th, following the Freedom Square Attacks, that made all the difference - Serbian forces were drastically redeployed to meet the new threats, and failed at both that and holding those already fighting them back.

Bosnian forces counterattacked, retaking their territory and moving into Serbia itself. Serbia would last until May 22nd, before being forced to surrender. The victorious states would dissolve Serbia.

Bosnia would regain areas lost in the First Yugoslav War to Serbia, along with annexing areas of Serbia proper, long claimed by proponents of "Greater Bosnia." Large numbers of Serbians fled these areas, fearing retribution for Serbian atrocities committed during the fighting. The MLA has likely managed to increase its influence as a result of this, as well.

Current Affairs[]

Currently, the country is trying to stop widespread corruption within the government as well as a black market which is destabilizing the economy. Reports of the MLA being present and helping these subversive activities have been heard, but largely denied by the government.

Economy[]

Having most of its industry either destroyed during the two wars or taken during the Croatian and Serbian land grabs, Bosnia is a relatively poor state, being dependent on foreign investment and goods. Its main source of income is farming, while tourism has seen a steady rise in recent years, although far behind its neighbours.

Government & Politics[]

Haris Silajdzic

Haris Silajdžić, the current President of Bosnia.

Since the country is an Islamic state, the laws governing the country are deeply rooted into Islamic jurisprudence and the security Al-Amaanah is in the hands of Muslims. Politics are still strongly dominated by the Radical Islamic Party, as it is the dominant party in the Parliament. Ties with the MLA are renounced, however, as they feel that their struggle does not concern Bosnia. This has not stopped accusations from the opposition parties that the RIP was actively funding the organization.

Indeed, there were several occasions when MLA supporters were found in the country, but as of yet, they did not have direct ties with the government.

Demographics[]

The country is largely made up of Muslim Bosnians, with Serbians being the second largest ethnic group. The third ethnic group are Croatians, who form a small fraction of the country, as most have moved back to Croatia. The average life expectancy is high, unlike the rest of Doomsday-stricken Europe, being over 78.5 years for men and 80 for women. The population is expanding.

Military[]

85e322fd-c738-4b50-b416-cdd5a8be9181c

Photo of a Bosnian soldier posing for a photo in the mid 80s, during a pause in the fighting.

The military consists of around 35,000 professional troops, while the population does receive basic training throughout high school and college. The military is primarily a ground force, as the Air Force currently operates three MiG-21's acquired during the war. Talks between the government and the Nordic Union regarding the purchase of the JAS-29 Gripen are underway.

International Relations[]

The country is on good terms with Croatia, although they hold a grudge for losing territory. The same can not be said for the Alpine Confederation or the former state of Serbia, as they blamed them both for losing significant amounts of territory, as well as genocide committed by the FSM.

It has also found an ally in the form of the Sultanate of Turkey. Through their help, Bosnia hopes to get rid of MLA influence within its country.

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