An Emerging Border of an Emerging State? The Case of the IEBL and the Republika Srpska of Bosnia-Herzegovina
An Emerging Border of an Emerging State? The Case of the IEBL and the Republika Srpska of Bosnia-Herzegovina

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the geopolitical changes in the Balkan region that led to the emergence and evolution of Republika Srpska (RS), which now operates as a semi-autonomous state. During the Bosnian war, the corridors linking the historical Serb-inhabited areas, where the target of ethnic cleansing that fundamentally changed the area’s ethnic composition. In the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA), those very corridors became the boundaries of the newly recognized Republika Srpska. Throughout postwar Bosnia, ethnicity affects nearly all aspects of daily life. Serbs are highly disadvantaged and Bosniaks are moving toward a majority. In the 15 years since DPA, Republika Srpska has sought to administratively control these ethnic divisions by enforcing DPA and Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL) provisions and obstructing attempt to reduce decentralization. The IEBL, an informal border separating two ethnic communities, is one of the most contested divisions in the Western Balkans. Because of its roots in ethnic cleansing, the boundary line is a symbol of violent secessionism. In recent years, the IEBL has obstructed ethnic “re-mixing” as local RS authorities try to prevent internally displaced persons (IDPs) from relocating there.

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