Description
Book SynopsisThe introduction of consociational power sharing as a post-war political system has become one of the international community's preferred post-conflict devices. In situations where warring polities are internally divided by ethnic, religious, linguistic, or national identity, consociationalism guarantees the inclusion of all groups in the political process and prevents a 'tyranny of the majority over one or more minorities. However, if international actors keep intervening in the political process, the advantages of consociationalism are turned upside down. In this exceptional book, Adis Merdzanovic develops a theoretical and empirical approach to understanding consociational democracies that include external intervention. Using the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the consociational Dayton Peace Agreement ended the three-year war between Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks twenty years ago, it elaborates on the different approaches used in the past and gives practical recommendations for future state-building exercises by the international community.
Trade Review"Merdzanovic's study presents a most welcome new assessment: He is the first scholar to scrutinize how the system of imposed consociationalism worked, or rather, didn't work, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a must-read for anybody interested in the history of the Balkans in general and current Bosnian politics in particular." -- Prof. Dr. Josette Baer, University of Zurich
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Acronyms 1. Introduction Part I: Nationalism 2. Theories of Nationalism-A Brief Survey 3. A Comparative Look at Western Balkan Nationalisms 4. Nationalism in Bosnia-Herzegovina Part II: Consociationalism 5. A Brief Introduction to Consociational Theory 6. 'Imposed Consociation' Part III: Bosnia and Herzegovina 7. Consociationalism in Bosnia-Herzegovina 8. Political Elites and Political Quarrels 9. The Office of the High Representative from 1996 to 2013 10. Bosnia-Herzegovina as an 'Imposed Consociation' part IV: Concluding Remarks 11. Conclusion Epilogue 12. A Short Postscript on Other Cases: Macedonia and Kosovo 13. Annex 14. Bibliography
