Has the Dayton Peace Agreement Stopped Progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Abstract

Abstract : Arguably, the Dayton Peace Accords met the initial intent. They provided the structure for ending the bloody conflict and stopping ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The Accords, also known as the Dayton Peace Agreement, were the results of an intensive international diplomatic process which identified and codified the ways and means to end the Bosnian War. Initially agreed upon in November 1995 at Dayton and signed in Paris the next month, the eleven articles addressed governance, economic development, shared military defense and human rights. They also established guiding principles designed to create a lasting peace, build national unity and provide for enduring civil and economic institutions. But, BiH remains divided. It is important to consider two questions in addressing this lack of progress: Why has BiH not met the greater intent of the Dayton Peace Agreement? Even more pressing: Has the Dayton Peace Agreement become a roadblock to further progress in/for BiH? The answer for finding lasting peace and unity lies in renewed diplomatic intervention, constitutional reforms and holding all the former warring parties to their obligations written in the agreement.