Democratization Policy Council
The continued presence of EUFOR/Operation Althea, the successor to the NATO peacekeeping force deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) at the end of the war, is at risk of being vetoed by Russia in the UN Security Council in November as a part of its policy of disruption in the Western Balkans, with potential Chinese support, according to a new report.
Unity of purpose in BiH has long been proclaimed by Western actors, but hasn’t been practiced in more than 15 years, the Democratization Policy Council analysts Kurt Basseuner, Valery Perry, Toby Vogel, and Bodo Weber contend. Together, the US, the EU and its members, the UK, and other democracies on the Peace Implementation Council have massive potential leverage to prevent catastrophe and foster real progress – without having to invest major resources. But they need to finally get it together to use it this autumn – or potentially lose it. RTWT
