ABSTRACT
This chapter explores very briefly the genesis of the Bosnian conflict and identifies the dilemmas of principle with which the disintegration of Yugoslavia confronted the UN. It examines the institutional capabilities and limitations of the UN in dealing with a crisis such as the Bosnian. The chapter assesses the performance of the UN system in addressing the Bosnian case, in particular its responsiveness to changes in the nature of the conflict. It explores how the UN came to be shifted from significant involvement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and provides some brief observations on the strengths and weaknesses of the ‘Dayton settlement’ approach in the light of the UN’s performance. The chapter also offers some concluding observations, of which the most important is that an ability to deploy force promptly and decisively is essential if ethnic conflicts are to be smothered by the UN before they flare out of control.
