Post-conflict Cooperation in Multi-ethnic Local Communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Diaspora’s Role

Abstract

How are diaspora involvement in peacebuilding and elite cooperation in multi-ethnic municipalities complementary? This article examines how local elites perceive and respond to conflict-generated diaspora’s role in peacebuilding in nine post-conflict multi-ethnic municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and whether these perceptions can determine types of inter-ethnic cooperation within local institutions. Using a systematic comparative case study analysis utilising ideal-type fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), I derive four types of relationships. The results indicate that local elites, experiencing various levels of direct and indirect interaction with diaspora communities, perceive diaspora’s role in the process as constraining their own cooperation prospects. The analysis also demonstrates that local elites perceive diaspora as insufficiently competent and imperfectly coordinated to tackle major challenges in local peacebuilding frameworks and that diaspora actions do not significantly affect the reform of current dynamics and practices of intra-ethnic cooperation among elites.

Keywords:

• peacebuilding
• diaspora
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• multi-ethnic municipalities
• elite cooperation

Acknowledgements

I sincerely thank all interviewees for sharing their insights. I am deeply grateful for useful feedback from Maria Koinova, Gerasimos Tsourapas, Ben Margulies, and other participants of the ‘Diaspora Mobilization for Conflict and Post-conflict Reconstruction: Comparative and Contextual Dimensions’ conference at the University of Warwick (November 2015) on earlier versions of this text. I remain indebted to Dženeta Karabegović for her careful review and useful comments.

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Jasmin Hasić

JASMIN HASIĆ is an Assistant Professor at International Burch University where he serves as Head of the International Relations and European Studies Department. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and LUISS Guido Carli of Rome. His research interests revolve around diaspora studies, peacebuilding, and transitional justice in multicultural societies.