Local Politics of Transnational Networks in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Post-conflict environments are characterized by a diversity of divisions and transitions. Political and economic cleavages run horizontally, within the public and at times across various ethnic groups, as well as vertically, engulfing formal political institutions of governance and their relationships with the public. The challenge for the international community in such regions is to engage in peace-building efforts targeted at the community level as well as institution-building at the level of formal governance structures in various issue areas (e.g., financial sector, health care, and education). Conflict resolution efforts at the community level may offer immediate short-term peace dividends, while interventions aimed at enhancing or reforming institutions are intended to yield longer-term benefits. Peace-building at the community level in BiH has emphasized humanitarian concerns such as addressing near-term needs of specific groups affected by the war (such as returnees, refugees, women, and demobilized soldiers), reconciliation among communities affected by the conflict, and establishment of intercommunal trust and cooperation. At this level, the international community has often promoted well- defined, discrete projects that offer immediate peace consolidation but have modest added value for enhancing the longer-term capacities of the post-conflict state.