States of Conflict: A case study on peace-building in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Article

This paper explores the effects of international state-building efforts on the Bosnian state. It addresses the central question of what happens when external ideas about what constitutes a 'modern' state conflict with local contexts.

This paper explores the effects of international state-building efforts on the Bosnian state. It addresses the central question of what happens when external ideas about what constitutes a 'modern' state conflict with local contexts.

The paper takes a step back from the exigencies and challenges of day-to-day politics and looks at the structural determinants of state-building beyond the practices of single actors. From this perspective, explanations of the setbacks of international state-building cannot be limited to local 'spoiling' or 'corruption'. Rather, local resistance and informal practices have to be seen as evidence of structural limits to state-building whose results are much more ambiguous and less controllable than might be expected.

Related items

  1. A wind farm in the hills to the south of Glasgow, Scotland.

    Apathy and opposition: Understanding the real threats to net zero

    Climate action is under siege from populist and far-right actors. Delivering under that pressure demands fresh confidence and commitment from government. 
  2. A flood warning sign, on a closed country road next to water logged fields in the Avon Valley, Hampshire, England

    Adapt or die: Why progressives need to deal with extreme weather

    The impacts of extreme weather are already directly affecting people and communities across the UK. We lack ways to deal with this. 
  3. The outside of the BBC building in London with people walking in front of it

    Levelling the playing field: The BBC, Big Tech, and the case for a bold charter

    The upcoming charter renewal is the moment to give the BBC the resources, freedom and mission it needs to engage with technology firms on its own terms.