Returnees, Remittances, and Reconstruction: International Politics and Local Consequences in Bosnia

In: The Whitehead journal of diplomacy and international relations, Band 11, Heft 1, S. 49-62

Abstract

Demonstrates Bosnia's dependency on a strong international presence, given the number of refugees within its population & the policies of the UN & Office of the High Representative. Discussion begins with a look at the political environment resulting in the return of hundreds of thousands of Bosnian refugees. Attention is then given to Annex VII of the Dayton Accords with regard to its regularization of the refugee return & the impact of the international community on the post-Dayton democratic structures of the Bosnian government. Challenges confronting returning refugees are described, using local authority obstruction of minority returns to the Zvornik region to illustrate. Corruption & the black market are identified as key elements of reintegration problems, & the persistence of pockets of poverty as characteristic of Bosnian economic development is assessed. Preconditions necessary for successful reintegration & sustainability are identified. D. Edelman