Croatian Lessons for Ukraine: De-occupation, Reintegration and Peace-building
The author examines the features of the processes of de-occupation, reintegration and peace-building that took place in Croatia in the late 1990s and analyzes the possibilities of implementing the Croatian experience in Ukraine. The aim of the study is to clarify the specifics of the Croatian peace building strategy, its features and effectiveness factors and to determine the possibilities of applying the Croatian model of peace-building and its individual elements in the process of reintegration of the currently occupied Ukrainian territories. Applying historical, analytical and comparative methods, the author concludes that not all means of de-occupation and reintegration of territories that have been successful in the Croatian case can be as effective in modern Ukrainian realities. The study found that the main factor in the effectiveness of the Croatian model of peace-building was the presence of public consensus on the priority of the integrity of the state and the means to restore sovereignty over its entire territory. The conclusions revealed that the effective development of peace in the occupied and reintegrated territories involves the spread of Ukrainian cultural and value dominants, the Ukrainianization of information and cultural space and the educational system.