Bosnia-Herzegovina General background Historical context Current situation Key issues

General background Bosnia and Herzegovina became a full state after a declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1992 Located in South-Eastern Europe, it is a region struggling with ethnic divides and recovering from a bloody civil war in the 1990’s While the nation is no longer in open warfare, it is still a highly divided state which is currently engulfed in political problems 2

Historical Context The three-year war which ravaged Bosnia-Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995 was caused primarily by the changing nature of the Yugoslav federation. Others had declared independence as the perception was that Milosevic wanted to create a 'Greater Serbia' through the Yugoslav state. When Bosnia declared its independence most Serbs in Bosnia feared a plurality Bosniak Muslim state. This led to the establishment of Republika Srpska- a Bosnian Serb state, within Bosnian borders. A number of attempts to share power and broker peace (notably the Vance-Owen Plan) failed to end the war. The war had a number of ethnically motivated massacres. Notably, at Srebrenica where thousands of civilians were murdered. Croat nationalists declared their own state also but eventually brokered a peace with the Bosnian state, forming the Bosniak-Croat Federation. he 1995 Dayton Peace accords split the country’s political representation into two groups: the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serb Republic. A central government with a rotating presidency was also formed.

Current Situation The various governmental levels (central, cantonial, municipal etc) has led to a high cost of governance and a strong ethnopolitical focus in elections. Ostensibly, this is for peace but increasingly this has done little to help Bosnia's economic situation; unemployment has been estimated at nearly 40%. Nationalist parties continue to perform well in elections. However, these protests have been more focused on the economic situation and not ethnic issues. Nevertheless, a change to the constitution or system of government is unlikely- a more centralised state would favour Bosniaks over Serbs. The Serbs would not accept a loss of power from Republika Srpska. The protests have taken place more in the Bosniak-Croat Federation than in Republika Srpska.

Key issues Political leadership- With ethnic divisions remaining strong, how can the UN help ease tensions between the groups and work towards a solution to the crisis? Is a new framework needed to allow Bosnia to move forward? The current crisis- Should the international community help negotiate reforms to the current political framework? Or wait for the situation to develop further? Should there be an international development drive? How can the UN and the EU encourage job creation? Outside involvement- should bodies like the EU and other states be placed in charge of resolving the situation or would a locally-based solution work better? Should the OHR intervene?