Publications

To become a member of the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina must be capable of meeting the responsibilities that go with membership. The purpose of constitutional reform should be to strengthen the central institutions of representative democratic governance; to set out a clear and workable division of responsibilities between the regional and the central governments; and to bring the country into conformity with its international obligations.

In many ways Bosnia and Herzegovina resembles a mini-Yugoslavia. "Ethnonationalism" dominates not just the country's constitution but also its governance and its culture. Because of this it cannot truly become a liberal democracy until its governance and its political institutions begin to function properly and in the interests of all its citizens. Because democracy is more than just a set of formal institutions, it is time that the international community paid greater attention to reforming both kinds of institutions — formal and informal — in Bosnia and Herzegovina as it continues to seek to create a true liberal democracy in that troubled country.

Addressing recent developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, GMF Fellow Douglas Davidson offers recommendations for U.S. government policy to help the country implement first steps towards gaining EU membership.