Under western eyes: the fate of Bosnia

Abstract

The prospect of a tolerable political order in Bosnia-Herzegovina depends in no small measure on the capacity of the predominantly Muslim Bosnians to find a place for themselves at the crossroads of Islam, Europe and Pax Americana. The ideal of a multi-ethnic Bosnia was nearly overwhelmed in the calamity of the 'Greater Serbia' and 'Greater Croatia' projects of the early 1990s. Yet Bosnians should hold onto the secularism that is dominant in their identity and history. This secular tradition still represents their best hope to survive as a state and to maintain international and especially American support. In the best of all worlds, Bosnia's future will continue to be full of perils.