ABSTRACT
Since the signing of the Dayton Accords in December 1995, the international community has been involved in the management of the democratization process in Bosnia-Herzegovina. As the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General has noted ‘democratization is predominantly a new area’ for the UN, nevertheless it is already seen as ‘a key component of peace-building’ addressing the ‘economic, social, cultural, humanitarian and political roots of conflict’.1 Democratization is broadly defined by the UN to constitute a ‘comprehensive approach’ covering the broad range of new peace-building priorities: ‘top-down’ international regulation of elections, institutional development and economic management, accompanied by ‘bottom-up’ assistance to develop a democratic political culture through civil society-building.2
