Abstract
The book’s introduction draws out the basic contours and scope of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) foreign policy in various contexts. It highlights the basic structures, frameworks, processes, institutions, and actors of BiH foreign policy. Moreover, it introduces the reader to the guiding theoretical and empirical contributions of the book including how the foreign policy of BiH evolved by responding to internal pressures and adapting to external structures over time. This is particularly important as understanding how post-conflict countries pursue foreign policies can in turn also better inform how interactions with other international actors and organizations are shaped in response. Moreover, this chapter provides an overview of the layout of all chapters in the volume. It highlights both the importance of proper positioning of the foreign policy of BiH over the last 25 years since its independence and thus the relevance of this approach for research on the foreign policy of similar states.
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Notes
- 1.
An edited volume by Soeren Keil and Bernhard Stahl provides a comparative examination of post-Yugoslav states and their foreign policies in the aftermath of the breakup of Yugoslavia with a chapter on BiH, authored by Adnan Huskić. The picture that the contributions in this volume draw is a mixed one; in the case of BiH, it is demonstrated that complex history and decision-making processes in Bosnia negatively influence reforms. Another Bosnian language-edited volume on foreign policy only provides a tertiary overview of BiH’s membership in regional and international organizations and only takes note of its sizeable diaspora in a chapter by Maja Sahadžić. Two more MA-level theses were published as books in 2005 and 2010, respectively, by a former official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH and a local non-governmental organization (NGO) activist, who generally dismissed the potential of the country’s foreign policy agency.
- 2.
In this book, we do not place much emphasis on the origin of laws and reforms. Instead, what we are concerned with is how these are implemented and fostered by BiH institutions and actors and how they develop over time, regardless of who initiates them, as we are aware that these are ongoing processes and relationships which BiH needs to maintain as a foreign policy actor.
- 3.
The final chapter elaborates on this further.
- 4.
For background reading, see Woodward, S. L. (1995). Balkan tragedy: chaos and dissolution after the Cold War. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution; Silber, L., & Little, A. (1997). Yugoslavia: death of a nation. New York: Penguin Books; Malcolm, N. (2002). Bosnia: a short history. London: Pan.
- 5.
These include the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the two 1966 International Covenants, the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
- 6.
Article III, paragraph 2d of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, defines the right of both Entities (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska) to sign agreements with states and international organizations. The consent of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina is required.
- 7.
For instance, the BH Constitution (Article V, 2d) stipulates that a dissenting Member of the Presidency may declare a Presidency Decision to be destructive of a vital interest of the Entity from the territory from which he was elected, provided that he does so within three days of its adoption. Such a Decision shall be referred immediately to the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska, if the declaration was made by the Member from that territory, to the Bosniak Delegates of the House of Peoples of the Federation, if the declaration was made by the Bosniak Member, or to the Croat Delegates of that body, if the declaration was made by the Croat Member. If the declaration is confirmed by a two-thirds vote of those persons within ten days of the referral, the challenged Presidency Decision shall not take effect.
- 8.
There was such a law during the 1992–1995 period. Chapter 2 elucidates on this further.
- 9.
Opći pravci i prioriteti za provođenje vanjske politike Bosne i Hercegovine, n. 01–645–30/03, adopted on March 26, 2003., accessed through official website of the BiH MFA: http://www.mvp.gov.ba/vanjska_politika_bih/osnovni_pravci_vanjske_politike_bih/default.aspx?id=2
- 10.
The priorities set out in the 2003 document are as follows: ‘Preservation and protection of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina within its internationally recognized borders; Full and consistent implementation of the General Peace Agreement (GPA); BIH inclusion into European integration processes; Participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in multilateral activities, in particular, as part of the system of the United Nations (UN), the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), etc. and Promotion of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a partner in international economic relations, and promotion of the activities aiming at the admission of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the World Trade Organization (WTO)’.
- 11.
The complete text of the strategy can be found at: http://www.predsjednistvobih.ba/vanj/default.aspx?id=79555&langTag=bs-BA
- 12.
- 13.
Comparatively, the FYR Macedonia has been a candidate country since 2005, Montenegro since 2010, Serbia since 2012, and Albania received candidate status in June 2014.
- 14.
The members of the armed forces of BiH have taken part in Congo (MONUSCO), Mali (MINUSMA), and Afghanistan (the Resolute Support), and police officers have take part in the missions in South Sudan (UNMISS), Cyprus (UNFICYP), and Liberia (UNMIL).
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Hasić, J., Karabegović, D. (2019). Structure, Frameworks, Processes, Institutions, and Actors of BiH Foreign Policy Since Independence. In: Hasić, J., Karabegović, D. (eds) Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Policy Since Independence. New Perspectives on South-East Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05654-4_1
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