How to Pronounce Biljana Plavšić

Meaning and Context

Biljana Plavšić is a Bosnian Serb politician and former academic who served as the President of Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority political entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 1996 to 1998. Her political career, deeply enmeshed in the turbulent period of the Yugoslav Wars, began as a founding member and vice president of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) in Bosnia. Initially known for her hardline nationalist rhetoric during the Bosnian War, Plavšić later underwent a significant political transformation, aligning with Western diplomatic efforts and implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement. This shift led to her being termed the "Iron Lady" of the Balkans, though her legacy is irrevocably defined by her subsequent indictment and conviction by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for crimes against humanity. Her complex biography remains a critical case study in Balkan politics, ethnic conflict, and international justice.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The name Biljana Plavšić presents several challenges for non-Serbo-Croatian speakers, primarily due to diacritical marks and letter combinations uncommon in English. The most frequent error involves the surname "Plavšić," which is often misspelled by omitting the caron (háček) over the 's', rendering it as "Plavsic." While this ASCII transliteration is commonly accepted in international contexts, the correct diacritical form is "Plavšić." Other common misspellings include "Plavsich," "Plavsik," or "Plavshich," attempting to phonetically approximate the 'š' sound (like 'sh' in 'ship'). Her first name, Biljana, is sometimes mistakenly written as "Biliana" or "Bilijana." In historical documents and media, one may also encounter the Cyrillic spelling: Биљана Плавшић.

Example Sentences

Following the Dayton Agreement, Biljana Plavšić succeeded Radovan Karadžić as the President of Republika Srpska in 1996.

Historians often note the stark contrast between Plavšić's early ultra-nationalist stance and her later cooperation with the international community.

In 2003, the ICTY sentenced Biljana Plavšić to 11 years imprisonment for her role in persecutions during the Bosnian War.

Several biographies attempt to unravel the motivations behind Plavšić's dramatic political shift during her presidency.

The name Biljana Plavšić continues to evoke complex discussions about accountability, nationalism, and redemption in the aftermath of the Balkan conflicts.

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