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Ambassadors Roundtable Series- Bosnia and Herzegovina Event Summary As part of the Ambassador Roundtable Series on International Collaboration to Combat Terrorism and Insurgencies, The Homeland Security Policy Institute and the International Center for Terrorism Studies co-hosted Ambassador Dr. Bisera Turkovic, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, on April 17, 2008. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia) has been a volatile region since 1992, when it declared its independence from the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Strife ended in 1996 with the Dayton Peace Agreement, which now serves as Bosnia’s constitution. Turkovic noted that Bosnia remains a fragile state with a population susceptible to organized crime and terrorism. Her address presented the historical context of Bosnia for its current challenges and a screening of The March of Death, As a consequence of the war in the mid-1990s, Bosnia was left divided with a large number of refugees, displaced persons, and a lack of sustainable return conditions for those who desired to return. In some areas of the country, perpetrators of war crimes have not been brought to justice and are still in government positions. Additionally, there is dissatisfaction with the economy—the population is experiencing a high unemployment rate. The poor state of the economy gives rise to hopelessness, which in turn makes people more susceptible to extremist ideology and even terrorist action. Poor education is exacerbating the problem—education has been used as an ideological tool to promote more segregation and ethnic tension, rather than acting as a unifying force. Bosnia’s capacity to combat terrorism depends upon its ability to break down perceptions of the public about religious extremism, to combat organized crime, and eradicate corruption. There are numerous sources of terrorism in Bosnia—both religious extremists and organized criminal networks utilize terrorist tactics of bombings and assassination. Additionally, the public does not trust the state to protect them or bring criminals and terrorists to justice— corruption throughout the government is rampant. Ignorance, lack of social and political dialogue, and human rights abuses amplify ethnic and religious tension.
The Bosnian perception of what terrorism is varies due to numerous views of ethnic groups and the presence of foreign movements. For example, a large number of Wahhabi Muslim foreigners joined the war in the mid-1990s on behalf of Bosnia and were granted citizenship for their efforts. A small number of them have become radicalized—two presented a threat and were subsequently stripped of their citizenship and deported. In general, Bosnia is not threatened by Wahhabi Islam. Rather, Turkovic explained that Bosnia’s concern is for “well resourced radical organizations [that] can fully penetrate the fragile society of Bosnia and Herzegovina.” Definitions aside, Bosnia continues to work to increase its effectiveness at combating terrorism and organized crime. Law enforcement reforms, judicial integration for the two entities, the creation of high courts that can hold officials accountable for corruption or previous war crimes, and improvements to the state financial system are underway. Since 2000, six national level agencies were established, each important to fighting terrorism: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Security, State Investigation and Protection Agency, State Border Service, and Intelligence Security Agency. Turkovic indicated that a crucial part of Bosnia’s fight against terrorism and organized crime is to create an efficient public bureaucracy that has a monopoly on the rule of law and a fair system of taxation in order to sustain the government and its services to society. However, terrorist and criminal networks are often hidden by institutional corruption. From this perspective, the long-term goals of institutional development are important. Bosnia’s progress has been enhanced by assistance from the European Union (EU) for police training programs. Challenges remain for Bosnia, which must conduct its counterterrorism efforts while simultaneously integrating the two federal level entities into one functioning state. Yet, its new government agencies have already successfully participated in the global struggle against terrorism. Turkovic hopes that the international community will learn from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s experience, as it has benefited from other nations. The main focus of such efforts should be “[to take a] broad approach, better [international] cooperation, and to respect human rights.” The Ambassador Roundtable Series is designed to provide Ambassadors to the United States and their key diplomatic staff with a forum to discuss current and future counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts on a regional or country-specific basis. In an effort to draw upon various insights and experiences, the Ambassadors Roundtable Series builds upon and institutionalizes efforts over the past two years to engage in a dialogue with members of the international community, policy makers, and practitioners. Bosnia and Herzegovina Resources For further inquries, please email hspi1@gwumc.edu with the subject Ambassadors Roundtable Series Inquiries |
a short documentary about the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica. HSPI director Frank Cilluffo commented that the film “served as a reminder that policymakers should continue to focus on the victims of violence and terrorism.” Subsequently, Turkovic led a discussion on the aspects of dismantling the nexus of terrorism and organized crime in Bosnia.
For operational purposes, Turkovic underscored the necessity to define terrorism in order to combat it. She notes, “today our problems with terrorism begin with the inability to officially define it—the issue is politicized within Bosnia. This lack of definition has allowed room for terrorists to exploit sympathies of [the] population and international community.” |