Bosnia and Herzegovina as a factor of the western Balkan security subcomplex

Abstract

Relying on the basic theoretical assumptions of the Copenhagen School, especially the sectoral understanding of security and Regional Security Complex Theory, the paper analyzes the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), its implications for the wider Western Balkan security environment, including the situation in BiH realized in the context of differentiating the Western Balkan security subcomplex in relation to the wider European security identity which has an impact on the region. The aim of this paper is to point out the key factors that determine the security situation in BiH and its surrounding region, including the specificities of the security context in BiH, which is reflected in the essential inseparability of its political and societal dimension, because the issue of collective identity in BiH, which is exclusively grounded on the ethno-political premises manifested through its Dayton constitutional structure and the consociative character of its political system. Therefore, the paper concludes, among other things, that the causes of the unfavorable security situation in BiH and its negative implications for the region must primarily be sought in the permanent conflict between the three ethno-political identities and the dysfunctionality of political mechanisms for conflict resolutions, including inadequate policies which have been applied to Dayton BiH by key representatives of the European security identity, such as the European Union and NATO, almost since its establishment.