%0 Journal Article
%T Institutional Discrimination against the MinorityGroups in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Barrier to EU Membership
%A Bedrudin Brljavac
%J Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
%D 2011
%I Khazar University
%X Although over more than 10 years Bosnia and Herzegovina has been going through an extensive European Union-related reform process, the country is still facing serious democratic deficit. In particular, the post-Dayton public sphere has been dominated by ethno-nationalist political elites which are doing everything to exclude non-nationalists and members of minority groups from the decision-making process. This is a clear paradox since one of the main objectives behind the integration of the European countries into the European Community was to reduce disintegrative and dangerous influences of nationalists and establish a peaceful, prosperous, and secure community. In this article, we analyze the process of the post-Dayton ethno-nationalization resulting in a widespread discrimination against the so-called ¨Dothers¡¬ as they are defined in the Constitution. In the post-war BiH, democratic participation has turned into a competition between the three ethnic communities, Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats, rather than race of equal individuals having equal right of vote. That¡®s why Bosnian people are still living under the political system which is closer to ethno-democracy or ethnocracy rather than democratic regime. Under such a discriminatory regime BiH can not enter the European Union, which is a model of open and democratic society.
%K Democracy
%K Dayton Agreement
%K European Union
%K Minority Groups
%K Citizen
%K Ethno-nationalism
%K Group Rights
%K Individual Rights.
%U http://jas-khazar.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/06Institutional-Discrimination-against-the-Minority-Groups-in-Bosnia-and-Herzegovina78-bitdi1.pdf