Journal of East-European and Asian Studies
Vol. 1, No. 1, April 2009
Discouraging Responsibility in Bosnia & Herzegovina: The Continuing Role of the International Community
Darragh Farrell*
In recent times, the international organisations that have overseen the political life of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) since the Dayton Agreement have increased their calls for the country’s leaders to assume domestic responsibility and act with political ‘maturity’ in tackling the issues faced by BiH as it seeks to join the European Union. However, the international community continues to exercise substantial power and influence over the country and, because of this, may inhibit the ability of BiH’s leaders to effectively run the country and act with political responsibility. This paper examines the relationship between the BiH political elite and the international community and attempts to discern the affects of this relationship on the overall political health of the country, discussing whether a substantial reduction in the authority of the international community would assist the political development of BiH.
Introduction
Writing in June 2008, the BBC foreign correspondent Humphrey Hawksley lauded Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) for its reforms, citing the country as a model for the development of other conflict-ridden states. BiH, according to Hawksley, was “evidence of what United States leadership can achieve, that over time the West’s intervention has been marked not by failure but success”.1 Coming after it had been announced that BiH was to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union (EU), this upbeat assessment was somewhat understandable. To the casual outside observer, the SAA locked BiH onto a path of EU membership – the guarantee of future peace and prosperity.
The first half of 2008 was marked, according to the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) – the cohort of international officials who give political direction to the Office of the High Representative (OHR), the powerful international authority overseeing BiH – by “significant progress”.2 At its annual summit in Bucharest at the start of April, NATO launched an “Intensive Dialogue” Programme with BiH, and the country edged closer to full membership of the military alliance. Also in April, BiH political representatives, after over four years of negotiations, finally agreed to a deal on reforming
* Centre for the Study of Wider Europe, National University of Ireland, Maynooth