Politics and Governance in Post-War Bosnia

Abstract

Bosnia’s current political system is the product of a peace agreement that the international community concluded in Dayton, Ohio, in November 1995. The significant role of the international community has made Bosnia de facto a protectorate that is characterized by a loose federation with a weak central government. With 1441 constitutions and governments with legislative powers, the political system of Bosnia is both inherently complex and asymmetrical. Ultimately, this unusually convoluted structure of governance has rendered the country unstable and dysfunctional. The nature of governance in Bosnia is often described as static, but owing to the tension between international intervention and national parties the system established in the Dayton Peace Accords has evolved and changed over the post-war decade.