Peacekeeping Missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Their Impact on State-Building Processes after the Yugoslav Conflict

Abstract

This article examines the involvement of the international community in the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the process of state stabilization following the Dayton Peace Agreement of 1995. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of actions undertaken by the United Nations, NATO, and the European Union, from traditional UN peacekeeping missions (UNPROFOR), through NATO’s military engagement, to the implementation and stabilization missions IFOR and SFOR. The article highlights the limited effectiveness of classical UN peacekeeping mechanisms in the context of civil war and ethnic cleansing, culminating in the events in Srebrenica. Only NATO’s decisive intervention under Operation Deliberate Force led to the cessation of hostilities and cre-ated conditions for peace negotiations. Subsequently, the IFOR and SFOR missions focused on the disarmament of the parties to the conflict, control of separation zones, and support for the recon-struction of security structures and civilian administration, with significant participation from Cen-tral and Eastern European countries, including Poland. A further stage of international engage-ment was the assumption of responsibility for the stabilization of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the European Union through the EUFOR Althea mission. These activities included both a military com-ponent and support for institutional reforms, particularly in the areas of policing, the judiciary, and public administration. Despite achieving a relative level of security stabilization, it has not been possible to establish fully efficient and integrated state structures. Peace missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina have prevented the renewal of a full-scale armed conflict, but they have not led to lasting social integration or to the complete consolidation of the state. The functioning of Bos-nia and Herzegovina remains largely dependent on continued international engagement and on the prospect of integration with the European Union and NATO.