by WILPF

Worldwide militarisation, ever more visible with the invasion of Ukraine, is putting the importance of effective peacebuilding squarely at the top of the global agenda. However, current international peacebuilding efforts are a product of the uncontested spread of neoliberal capitalism, in which the rise and development of an international peacebuilding industry has played a significant role.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is an egregious example of how flawed this approach is. To bring to light the shortcomings of peacebuilding efforts in BiH, we decided to join forces with two Bosnian and Herzegovinian feminist researchers on a wide-ranging analysis and discourse project, culminating in the publication of nine essays.
What Is The Peace That Is Not?

Authored by feminist researchers Nela Porobić and Gorana Mlinarević, this collection of essays challenges the misconception that BiH is destined for dysfunction and internal tensions and highlights that the problems facing BiH today are global and systemic in nature, easily repeated on sites of other conflicts. The authors argue that the failures of peacebuilding efforts in BiH are reflective of the wider problems inherent to the way international multilateral organisations understand peace.

Starting today, the nine essays will be accessible through a new microsite where activists and practitioners, local and international communities, academics and interested parties can read about peacebuilding efforts in BiH and use it as a platform for discussions about peacebuilding in general.

Come take a look!