The missing peace

The need for a long term strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fifteen years after a cruel and devastating war, where is Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) heading? Towards long-term stability and peace, or towards violence and further disintegration? Is what we are witnessing today simply a painful and slow post-conflict recovery, or should we be alarmed at the lack of progress and the nature of BiH’s continued discontent?

Over the past few years, the steady deterioration in the political situation in BiH combined with a worsening economic climate has prompted increased attention towards the country. As the international community looks to disengage from its executive role in BiH, unresolved issues continue to block political progress and keep the country in a state of paralysis and vulnerability.

Against this backdrop, the following report outlines the findings of research carried out by Saferworld and Nansen Dialogue Centre Sarajevo in early 2010 to assess the impact of the current political and economic situation on local communities and to map out the deeper ‘drivers of conflict’ in BiH that remain unaddressed. The field research was carried out in 16 locations across the country.

The purpose of this report is not just to provide a community-based perspective on the current stalemate. It also aims at encouraging the international community to look beyond the immediate deadlock, and to prompt a discussion about how international actors can ensure that their engagement contributes to minimising longer-term threats to BiH’s delicate stability. As such, the report and its concluding recommendations are mainly addressed to decision makers and desk officers in international and foreign government institutions engaged in BiH, the European Union in particular.