IS EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA GOOD FOR THE EU, NATO AND BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA ITSELF?
Publisher: Wg Cdr J.O. Thorley
Volume: 35 pages, pdf
Description:
Following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and the conflicts that followed, including the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina1 over 1991 to 1995, the Western Balkans region became a major source of security threats for the European Union (EU). Organised crime networks took advantage of porous borders and the traditional Balkan smuggling route was revitalised as a means to transit illegal immigrants and goods into the EU.3 Some states in the Western Balkans have addressed the issues successfully and moved past this, Croatia being a prime example as evidenced by its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership in 2009 and EU accession in 2013. However, it can be argued that Bosnia-Herzegovina has languished behind despite a vast array of intervention and support from the international community; some argue that the February 2014 protest and riots in Bosnia-Herzegovina make it still the key country of security concern in the region, as the economic problems which started the riots have the potential to turn into ethnic conflict.