EDITORIAL Bosnian “Culture of Dependency” ince the Dayton Peace International policy-making bodies determine policy society, the level of personal Agreement was initialed in BiH. It has led to a “culture of dependency” identity and interaction. The Son November 15, 1995, Nansen Dialogue Centre and Bosnia-Herzegovina has been a and has given the people of BiH little economic the Open Society Fund Bosnia relatively peaceful nation. prosperity and a superficial democracy and Herzegovina are two However, the road that has pro- NGOs in that have duced relative stability has come with a price. had success at this level. These groups are Under Dayton, not only have the warring attempting to build a civil society that is sides been separated, but international composed of autonomous and respectful involvement has reached a new level in the individuals and based on the notion of “uni- form of peace-building activities ranging By fied pluralism.” Institution building is need- from top-down international regulation of Rory J. ed to provide the conditions suitable for the elections, economic management, and insti- virtues of individual and collective autono- tutional development to bottom-up develop- Conces my and critical thinking, an acceptable ment of political culture through civil soci- moral framework, and the expressions of ety-building. With the extension of interna- solidarity, friendship, and citizenship to tional regulatory mechanisms over the past country’s stability. peoples different from ourselves. At the few years, the Bosnian political leadership Nationalism, the Croatian author Dubravka same time, however, there must be efforts to have had a limited role in developing and Ugresic once wrote, means that “one’s help people realize that autonomy and a uni- implementing policy. Bosnia is a sovereign national origin is the essential fact: it is the fied pluralism are achievable goals. state, but policy is, in large measure, deter- measure of all things, it determines perspec- One method that these NGOs use, and that mined by international policy-making bod- tive.” It separates people and places them has been gaining ground in the United ies, such as the Office of the High into ethnic categories, thereby weakening States, is “intercultural education,” which Representative. It has led to a “culture of ties of community and solidarity. It is the allows persons to reach a critical distance dependency” and has given the people of old “us versus them” mentality, but with from received opinion, thereby making it Bosnia little economic prosperity and a nationalism power and force become tools possible to incorporate the perspective of superficial democracy. Yet this dependency used by mono-ethnic political parties, like the other as equally deserving of respect. It is needed, for it allows democratisation to the SDS (Serb), SDA (Bosniak), and HDZ promotes the shared “humanness” of the take hold in the face of the anti-modern and (Croat) in Bosnia. The problem is com- “other.” Although promoting dialogue and anti-democratic forces of ethnic national- pounded because Bosnia is composed of the understanding among the citizenry is not as ism. Such a populist ideology, whether it be Croat-Bosniak Federation and the glamorous as the rebuilding of cities, it Croatian, Serbian, or Bosniak (Moslem), is Republika Srpska, an arrangement that has plays an important role in allowing diversi- obstructionist to a genuine democracy. helped to sustain the power of ethnic parties. ty with unity, a key ingredient in civil soci- Granted, the economy is in a shambles and Some Bosnians believe that an improved ety-building. Given the global society that land mines clutter the cities and countryside. economy is the key, and that once people we live in, efforts such as these, whether in With unemployment at 50% and an estimat- have a job and a liveable wage, they will the Balkans or the United States, should be ed 1 million land mines in the country, each soon forget who is who. Perhaps they are applauded and continued. of these is a formidable problem, but the correct, but a person’s identity may be more (Rory J. Conces is a professor xenophobia and ethnic chauvinism that is deeply seated and less related to a pay at University of Nebraska in Omaha. generated by ethnic nationalism is an insid- check. In the meantime, others are working He was Fulbright Scholar at the University ious problem that equally threatens the at a more fundamental level of Bosnian of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina) HIGHLIGHTS ! Two Bosniaks were arrested in Gorazde on Tuesday meeting with Chinese Ambassador Li Friday on the basis of two international arrest Shu Yuan that relations between the two coun- Editor - in - Chief VLASTIMIR MIJOVIC warrants issued by international judges in tries have so far produced poor results. Publishers: Kosovo concerning a weapons trafficking case ! The International Commission for Missing POENTA d.o.o. between BiH and Kosovo, and two more people Persons (ICMP) announced on Tuesday that he Sarajevo, S. Mujica 9 were charged last weekend, UN/IPTF has received the approval of the Yugoslav Director Spokesperson Kate Frieson said on Tuesday. Government, on the basis of which it will start AMRA ZIMIC ! The councilors of the Alliance for Change in the technical process of identification of persons Senior Editor missing from conflicts in the region. EMIR SALIHOVIC the Mostar Stari Grad Municipal Council on Tues- Copy Editor day replaced the mayor, Zijad Hadziomerovic, a ! The work of the Bijeljina Municipal Court RICHARD MEDIC member of the Democratic Action Party (SDA). has been blocked because of the strike of the Editor ! A meeting of finance ministers of the countries jury judges of the Court. ELMEDIN TOPCIC of the former Yugoslavia is being held in , ! The Sarajevo-based “Bosnalijek” pharma- DTP within the terms of the agreement on the succes- ceutical company on Tuesday received ISO GORAN ZAVADIL 9001: 2000 certificate from Ulrich Horn, a rep- Secretary sion of the former Yugoslavia reached in May this ARZIJA JUSIC year in , the Beta reported. resentative of the Swiss SGS, the biggest and Phone/Fax:033 262 803 ! President of the BiH Chamber of Commerce most important certification house with its GSM: 066 212 004 Mahir Hadziahmetovic emphasized during a headquarters in Geneva. E-mail: [email protected]