Day: February 14, 2014
Citizens are the place to start
My friends are in a tizzy about Bosnia. Ed Joseph wants urgent international action. So do Bodo Weber and Kurt Bassuener. All fear that Bosnia’s social unrest in recent days may degenerate into ethnic conflict. They want the United States and the European Union to step in with clear ideas for reform and strict conditionality to force their adoption.
I am a bit more cautious. I agree entirely with Bodo and Kurt that the current situation is in part the result of bankrupt and ineffective EU policies. I agree with them and Ed that a different approach is required, including stronger American diplomatic engagement and strengthening of Europe’s military presence. But I am suspicious of the notion that the right formula to untie the Bosnian knot can be devised in Washington and Brussels. We tried that at Dayton. It worked to end the war, but not to make Bosnia a functional state.
We need to hear more from the Bosnians, who are busily organizing themselves into plenums that will formulate grassroots demands for reform. Tim Judah describes what is going on: Read more
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Bahrain 3 years on
With the third anniversary of the Bahraini uprising today, Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and Creative Peace Initiatives hosted a panel on human rights in Bahrain featuring Joshua Colangelo-Bryan (Senior Attorney, Dorsey & Whitney), Brian Dooley (Director, Human Defenders Program at Human Rights First), and Shadi Mokhtari (Professor, American University). Jeff Bachman (professorial lecturer, American University) moderated. The Bahraini government was not represented.
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