Dragovic-Soso, Jasna. 2016. History of a Failure: Attempts to Create a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1997-2006. International Journal of Transitional Justice, 10(2), pp. 292-310. ISSN 1752-7716 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Several initiatives to create a national Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) for Bosnia and Herzegovina were launched between 1997 and 2006, but none came to fruition. This article explains the rationale behind the pursuit of a truth telling mechanism alongside the existing International Criminal Tribunal (ICTY), as well as the resistance to such initiatives both internationally and domestically. It argues that, despite the considerable efforts of external actors to create a TRC for Bosnia, the project foundered for three principal reasons: political resistance, institutional rivalry between the ICTY and the TRC project, and the proposed TRC project’s lack of legitimacy, notably among Bosnia’s victim associations. The history of the failed TRC project in Bosnia holds important lessons for ongoing truth-seeking attempts in the region and beyond, and highlights problems that arise in post-conflict societies with a high level of international involvement.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijw005
Additional Information:	This is the pre-copy edited version.
Keywords:	Bosnia and Herzegovina, truth commission, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Politics
Dates:	Date Event 8 March 2016 Published Online 1 July 2016 Published 14 September 2015 Accepted
Item ID:	17334
Date Deposited:	30 Mar 2016 11:42
Last Modified:	08 Mar 2018 02:26
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/17334

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