Multinational Federalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina

"'Soeren Keil offers a theoretically well-grounded and empirically detailed analysis of the mal/functioning of the political process in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Required reading for anyone interested in understanding that country and the political challenges of diversity in divided societies more generally.' Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham, UK 'In countries without consensus on the state, the international community has incubated forms of federalism for immediate conflict management needs that have serious sustainability questions. Soeren Keil offers a penetrating analysis of this practice in Bosnia-Herzegovina and an argument that ""imposed federalism"" is a new institutional form of our time. Those interested not only in Bosnia but in Iraq and Afghanistan should read this book.' Gerard Toal, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA '... it is quite a challenge to write an innovative study on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). And yet, with Multinational Federalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Soeren Keil manages to bring new insights and to fill an important gap in the literature on post-war BiH ... This volume brings a very welcome contribution to the academic debate on the political system of BiH by analyzing it from a new perspective. ... Overall, this volume is definitely an excellent read, both for those who have already extensive knowledge on BiH as well as for scholars and students interested in federalism, in particular in post-conflict and deeply divided societies. The first will have the opportunity to analyse BiH from a perspective they will find innovative and the latter will certainly find some food for thought on whether imposing federalism on post-conflict societies should be an option at all.' Swiss Political Science Review 'The author offers a very convincing analysis on how federalism was imposed by international actors on the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina ...' Publius: The Journal of Federalism 'With its profound analysis of federalism Soeren Keil's book adds a valuable contribution to the already rich literature on Bosnia and Herzegovina. The book is characterized by impressive depth of analysis, a convincing, functional structure, and clarity of presentation and argumentation. By linking federal theory to the debate on democratisation, conflict-resolution and post-conflict management, the volume sheds light on the lesser explored concept of multinational federalism, also beyond the examined case of Bosnia and Herzegovina.' Croatian International Relations Review 'In sum, Keil's study analyses the key debates and realities of federation and federalism in the Bosnian case elegantly and without excessive legalese or theorizing - which is a remarkable feat in and of itself.' Sudosteuropa 'Keil has done a favour to those interested in Bosnia's recent politics by mapping out that country's post-war political development (from the archi-tecture of government to some of the key policy areas) and clearly outlining the positions that different sides take on the issue of institutional design. ... the conceptual innovation at the centre of this work is a valuable one, and merits further refinement and theoretical development.' Southeastern Europe 'The value of Keil's book lies in his capacity to evoke different strands of literature (theories of federalism, history and comparative politics, international peace-making and state building) and to show how the case of Bosnia fits at their intersection, as one instance of the growing trend of internationalisation of domestic politics and institutional engineering as tools for conflict resolution and peace building. Policy discussions on the use of the federal form as a panacea for conflict resolution keep resurfacing today, as in the debate about the federalisation of Ukraine, at a moment when international actors and institutions are overloaded by the multifarious international crises at the borders of Europe. This volume is a useful guide to reflect on how federalism may remain contested and unresolved even 20 years after the end of the armed conflict it was designed to transform.' Europe-Asia Studies"