Modern Political History of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ešref Kenan Rašidagić

doi:10.47999/bos.2021.5.1.20-39

Abstract

Since Bosnia and Herzegovina’s declaration of independence in 1995, its path has been a rocky one. Unwillingness by the international community to stand by the central government and stand in the way of the neighboring states of Serbia and Croatia’s territorial pretensions, produced a succession of ceasefire agreements, culminating in the final, Dayton Peace Agreement. Each of these agreements espoused the ethnic principle as the guiding philosophy for the organization of the state. The post-war period demonstrates that despite the passage of time, the principle of organization of multi-ethnic state along ethnic lines presents a stumbling block to the functioning of the political, economic and social life in the country. The political history of post-independence Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) therefore reads as a history of protracted political paralysis, with no hope of rectifying the problems without another forceful intervention of the international community.

Highlights

Setting the Political Framework1In terms of territory, the inaccessibility and impenetrability of mountain ranges that cover most of its territory, have from an early age, defined Bosnia as a separate geopolitical entity
The inaccessibility and impenetrability of mountain ranges that cover most of its territory, have from an early age, defined Bosnia as a separate geopolitical entity
The period starting with the 2006 elections is generally considered among the impartial observers of Bosnian politics, as a period of lost opportunities and general stagnation, political and otherwise

Summary

Introduction

The inaccessibility and impenetrability of mountain ranges that cover most of its territory, have from an early age, defined Bosnia as a separate geopolitical entity. As B&H became an internationally recognized independent state, the presidents of Serbia and recently proclaimed Bosnian Serb Republic, Slobodan Milošević and Radovan Karadžić, officially announced the departure of federal army troops from B&H, with the 23 provision that any personnel wishing to remain there and continue fighting would become part of newly formed Army of Serbian Republic This official separation of two armies was a mere public relations exercise, designed to absolve Milošević of responsibility for the aggression against a neighboring state, and to support claims that the conflict in Bosnia was merely civil war between different ethnic groups, rather than an attack on one sovereign state by another. Despite the breakthrough, when the Americans lost interest in Bosnia in post-2001 environment, the subsequent elections in 2002 returned the mainstream nationalist parties to power where they remained entrenched to the present day (ICG, 2002)

Civic activism

Findings

The Challenges Facing Bosnia and Herzegovina