Identity and State – Ethnic Conflicts and Internal (Non)Legitimacy of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Identitet i država – Etnički konflikti i unutrašnji (ne)legitimitet Bosne i Hercegovine

Summary/Abstract: Politicaj legitimacy is closely related to the concept of identity and it is, to the certain extent, dependent on it. In order for the state to possess internal legitimacy it is necessary for her citizens to share some sort of collective political and/or national identity. This condition, however, is extremely hard to fulfill in multinational states whose societies are deeply divided across ethnic and political lines, and that do not have historical continuity, which is, among the others, the case with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina had ended almost two decades ago, the political situation and relations in this country are still very complex, which destabilizes the situation and prevents the establishment of the stable and sustainable political system. The main problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina are opposed interests and wishes of the political parties, as well as the constituent peoples. Exclusive national politics dominate the whole of the country, which prevents integration of the institutions at all levels and limits the capacity for political reforms. On the one hand, national politics do not leave any space for the activities of political options that could extend beyond ethnic borders, while, on the other, conflicting national interests prevent any, even minimal, consensus, which could lead to the normalization of the situation in the country, establishment of the long term stability and internal legitimacy.

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