High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Is the More Interventionist Way the Right Way to Go?

Abstract

The Office of the High Representative was established by the Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995 to assist the implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. Since then, the High Representative (HR) has been authorised to intervene directly in domestic affairs if the HR considers it necessary. The use of the so-called Bonn powers and its impact on the peace and state-building process divides both policymakers and experts. This paper draws attention to the fact that the role of the HR cannot be assessed without considering the constantly changing domestic and international political context. The paper also shows that the extensive use of these executive powers has played a controversial role in achieving the original goals of the Agreement.