Behind the Scenes of the Yugoslav Tragedy: Permanent Borders and Self-Determination

Abstract

Throughout the twentieth century, two principles have fought for dominance in international relations. Perhaps the clearer principle, national self-determination, was formulated by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in his famous "Fourteen Points," drawn up in January 1918 for a specific purpose: to smash two multiethnic adversaries—the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires. The tenth point of this document spoke of "peoples… [being] accorded the freest opportunity of autonomous development."