ABSTRACT
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was established in December 1995 after the conclusion of the Dayton Peace Agreement, has since been involved in four areas: elections, human rights, democratisation and military stabilisation. The main focus of this chapter is on the civil aspects. The chapter underlines that military stabilisation is a very important field of action for any peace-building operation; additionally, it is worth mentioning that the OSCE is probably one of the most suitable organisations to offer its auspices for such activities. Although the OSCE has had a key role to play in the civil implementation of the Dayton Agreement, it would be unfair to hold the Mission solely accountable for this situation. Another factor downsizing OSCE responsibility for the current situation is that its action derives from a general framework, the Dayton Agreement, which set up key principles for the implementation process. Finally, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is extremely complex.
