Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Daytonatdeath’sdoor,ChristopherBennett
Opinion&Analysis
19
entroleswiththefocus,intermsofthetransformativepotentialoftheaccession
process,primarilyonEuropeanintegration.
NATOplayedacriticalroleinendingtheBosnianWar,maintainingasafeand
secureenvironmentforthebestpartofthefirstdecadeofthepeaceprocess.It
helpedreformBiH’sdefencestructuresinsuchawaythatsince2006thecountry
hashadjointarmedforcesinplaceofthethreerivalarmiesattheendofhostili-
ties.Moreover,BosniaandHerzegovinahasbeenincreasinglycooperatingwith
NATO,sincejoiningthepartnershipforpeaceprogrammeinDecember2006.
However,theprocessleadingtomembershiphasbeenstalledsince2010asNATO
hasstoodfirmontheconditionitsetforBiH’smembershipactionplan–registra-
tionofdefencepropertyinthenameofthestate.
TeEUhas,bycontrast,sought,aboveall,tokeeptheprocessleadingto
eventualmembershipmoving,irrespectiveoftheactualresultsandwillingnessof
BosniaandHerzegovina’sethno-nationalelitetomakethenecessaryreforms.In
thisway,conditionalityhasrepeatedlybeendroppedintheinterestofmaintaining
momentum.Setbacks,suchaspolicerestructuringandthefailuretoimplementthe
EuropeanCourtonHumanRightsSejdic-Finciruling(whichaddresseddiscrimina-
tionintheconstitutionally-basedelectionsystem),havenotbeenallowedtoderail
theprocess.Indeed,theEU’sGeneralAffairsCouncilproclaimedonSeptember
20th2016umeaningfulprogress”inBosniaandHerzegovina’sreformagendawhen
referringthecountry’smembershipapplicationtotheEuropeanCommissionfor
anopinion–fivedaysbeforeRepublikaSrpskaheldanunconstitutionalreferen-
dumonRepublikaSrpskaDay.OnDecember9th2016,theEuropeanCommission
formallyhandedovera3,242-questionsurveybywhichBosniaandHerzegovina’s
membershipapplicationwillbeassessed.
Deepmalaise
WhileitiseasytobecriticaloftheEU’srecordonBiHoverthepastdecade,
today’sparalysisis,nevertheless,amanifestationofadeepermalaiseinBosnian
society,internationalfailuretoaddressstructuralshortcomingsearlierinthe
peaceprocess,theabsenceofadequatetoolsand,aboveall,theimaginationto
tacklethem.
Tosomeextent,aparalysedsituationhassuitedeveryone:theinternational
community;BosniaandHerzegovina’spoliticalelite;andeventhewiderpopula-
tion.Intheabsenceofwar,theinternationalcommunitydoesnothavetodeal
withthefallout,theexodusofrefugees,militarycasualtiesandmediaimages.Te
politicalelitehavebeenabletoexploitthesituationfortheirownpersonalgain
