Europeanisation without democratisation: a critique of the international community peacebuilding strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The academic debate over the role of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) centres preponderantly on the legitimacy of intervention, as exemplified by the High Representative's 'Bonn powers'. By contrast, international officials and policy makers often place emphasis on the effectiveness of engagement. The author makes the case in this article that this implied trade-off between democracy and efficacy is predicated on a stable constitutional settlement. With no such agreement yet in place, the reforms championed by the International Community risk re-opening at every turn conflicting notions about the territorial integrity and powers of the BiH state. Reducing the risk of institution-building and promoting domestic political and economic renewal requires a shift in strategy towards support for constitutional reform.