Land of 155 governments
It dawns on me that I have yet to explain Bosnia's political system. Bosnia is a country of 4 million people run by 155 governments. There are 140 municipalities, 10 cantons, 3 "Entities" and 1 federal government. The Entities are the Republika Srbska (for Serbs), the Federation of BiH (for Muslims and Croats), and the Brcko District (a multi-ethnic, strategically important border town administered by the international community). The federal government consists of a parliament and a three-headed, rotating Presidency -- one Muslim, one Croat, and one Serb.
You probably didn't catch all that, but the point is that this system really sucks. It is designed around ethnic identity, entrenching divisions and hanging the "others" out to dry. Furthermore, no legislation can be passed without the agreement of all three groups (and the two Entities), which means nothing ever gets done because disagreeing with the other ethnicities is usually the raison d'etre of all Bosnian politicians -- if they aren't too busy taking bribes. Finally, it is an enormously bloated bureaucracy, with over 50% of Bosnia's GDP going towards sustaining its own government.
The only thing keeping the system in check is the High Representative, who represents (from on high) the international community and is appointed by the European Union. The post is currently held by Paddy Ashdown, a British Liberal Democrat, who is soon to be replaced by a German diplomat. The High Rep's job is basically to sack anyone he pleases, as he did last year when he removed the Croat Presidency member on charges of corruption. Beyond that, I can't really figure out what he does except absorb endless criticism for being an "international dictator" and attend a lot of cocktail parties.
The government(s) are currently in the midst of re-negotiating the constitution, which was written in 1995 on an American Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio. But the newspaper the other day reported that the talks had ended without any progress and will be put off for a few more months. In the meantime, the 155 governments will go on happily twiddling their thumbs, blaming everyone but themselves for doing nothing.
You probably didn't catch all that, but the point is that this system really sucks. It is designed around ethnic identity, entrenching divisions and hanging the "others" out to dry. Furthermore, no legislation can be passed without the agreement of all three groups (and the two Entities), which means nothing ever gets done because disagreeing with the other ethnicities is usually the raison d'etre of all Bosnian politicians -- if they aren't too busy taking bribes. Finally, it is an enormously bloated bureaucracy, with over 50% of Bosnia's GDP going towards sustaining its own government.
The only thing keeping the system in check is the High Representative, who represents (from on high) the international community and is appointed by the European Union. The post is currently held by Paddy Ashdown, a British Liberal Democrat, who is soon to be replaced by a German diplomat. The High Rep's job is basically to sack anyone he pleases, as he did last year when he removed the Croat Presidency member on charges of corruption. Beyond that, I can't really figure out what he does except absorb endless criticism for being an "international dictator" and attend a lot of cocktail parties.
The government(s) are currently in the midst of re-negotiating the constitution, which was written in 1995 on an American Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio. But the newspaper the other day reported that the talks had ended without any progress and will be put off for a few more months. In the meantime, the 155 governments will go on happily twiddling their thumbs, blaming everyone but themselves for doing nothing.
posted by Sam at 2:00 PM
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