In search of sustainable peace :|conflict transformation in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina

Abstract

The struggle for the establishment of the sustainable peace continues in some Western Balkan countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. This comparative case study explores the role of intervention process on post-conflict structural transformation and progress toward sustainable peace in Kosovo and in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The main objective is to show that the way a conflict is handled might have an important impact on post-conflict environment and progress towards the establishment of sustainable peace. This exploratory research is based on a secondary analysis of existing qualitative data. The findings of this research reveal that there is stable but not sustainable peace in Kosovo and in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The main structural problems remain institutionalization of ethnicities in Bosnia-Herzegovina; a limited sovereignty in Kosovo; and lack of a state building culture for both cases. This study suggests the revision of power sharing structure in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the clarification of Kosovo’s status as first steps toward positive peace. The importance of this research rests on its criticism to the orientation in conflict resolution towards negative peace and on understanding the long-term (post-conflict) effects of interventions. Overall, it contributes to the literature of conflict studies by trying to uncover the relation between intervention and conflict transformation.