Facing The Past Facing The Future

Bosnia-Herzegovina has seen a decade of post-war reconstruction. As Bosnia has seen substantial advances in comparison to the immediate post-war period, Croatia and Serbia have democratized and the wars of the region have come to an end. Nevertheless, none of the societies has yet come to terms with the recent past.
 
The political system in Bosnia furthermore consolidated some of the divisions over which the war was fought. This book brings together political scientists, sociologists, and historians in a multi-disciplinary study of post-war Bosnia. The articles in this book examine ways in which the past in Bosnia and in the region is being addressed, the post-war system of government and the challenges it poses for self-sustainability.
 
Other contributions focus on the perception of Bosnia and the conflict in the West, in particular in North America. The contributions challenge the notion of rigid national belonging constituting a natural cause of confrontation. Instead, the articles demonstrate how Western perceptions and the legacy of the conflict have contributed to reconstruction without reconciliation.