Political soldiers and democratic institution-building in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Abstract

This thesis seeks to identify if, in the course of the United States and NATO s democratic institution building efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the United States and NATO are offering a viable model of how military professionals interact with a healthy democratic society. Because the understanding of how military professionals should interact with society as a whole is often flawed in the United States and other developed democratic states, this study will research how well the United States and NATO are presenting a realistic model to professional soldiers in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This study begins with a broad look at civil-military relations theory and examines select historical examples of professional soldiers exceeding their purview in developed countries such as the United States and Britain. The Yugoslav People s Army s political history is surveyed to examine the political involvement of professional soldiers in politics in the former state of Yugoslavia. Lastly, this study will examine contemporary Bosnia-Herzegovina and the West's democratic institution-building efforts.