German Policies and Practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina - A Promising Future and a Lack of Initiative -
Author: Susanna Thiel Publisher: Center for Security Studies (CSS), BiH Date: August 2013 Volume: 23 pages, pdf Description This paper explores the German-Bosnian relationship on three levels: political, economic and socio-cultural. Also, it took a glimpse at Germany’s foreign policy and its assumed shift towards more responsibility within the international community. Thus there are two actors who need to invest into the bilateral relationship. It became obvious that the biggest obstacle to BiH's success is the political instability and its consequences for international relations, such as an insecure legal situation and corruption. All researched official statements and surveys criticise the dysfunctional administrative and political system of BiH as the most important field for future reforms, progress and foreign relations. It seems unlikely that the situation will improve any time soon, as the political leaders in BiH continuously block each other’s initiative. Thus political efforts from within the country as well as from the international community are needed, especially regarding the amount of foreign aid that has already been spent on BiH.