Overview

Seven years after the end of the war, Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) is still struggling to overcome the political, economic and societal effects of the conflict. After two years of moderate--but ineffectual rule, many voters stayed home on election day. Although the nationalist parties lost ground in numbers of voters (compared to prior elections), the citizens who went to the polls in October 2002 put the hard-line parties back in power at the State level and in both entities. As these are the same nationalist parties that drove BiH into the war, the task of promoting cooperation and reduction of political and administrative barriers among the entities may become more challenging in the near future. It is not yet clear how the shift back to nationalism will affect the high number of minority refugees who are continuing the return to their pre-war homes.

Bosnia-Herzegovina in Action

$25 Million Raised for Balkans Through Public-Private Partnership: Donors Leverage Funds to Solidify Democracy

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation are pleased to announce a new $25 million initiative to support good governance in Southeastern Europe. The grant-making effort, called the Balkan Trust for Democracy, is a project of GMF made possible through a public-private partnership between GMF, USAID, and the Mott Foundation. Read More ...