Diplomatic Counterinsurgency
Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina

This book provides an eyewitness account of a key political crisis triggered by the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2007.

Philippe Leroux-Martin (Author)

9781107020030, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 December 2013

336 pages
16 x 23.5 x 2.5 cm, 0.61 kg

'In his brilliant analysis of how crisis management in Bosnia and Herzegovina went off the rails, Philippe Leroux-Martin turns Clausewitz's famous dictum that 'war is a continuation of politics by other means' on its head. Leroux-Martin concludes that the capacity of international interveners to counter 'non-violent wars' through diplomatic means is almost inevitably limited, and he offers a compelling alternative strategy to steer conflict. Diplomatic Counterinsurgency should be required reading for diplomats and other international crisis managers.' Michael Haltzel, Johns Hopkins University, and former advisor to US Vice President (then Senator) Joseph R. Biden, Jr

War does not stop when the armed conflict ends. This compelling eyewitness account of a key political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2007 demonstrates how interventions from foreign powers to end armed conflict can create new forms of conflict that are not only as determined and resilient, but can lead groups to challenge the power of fragile states through political and legal means. Countering such challenges is an integral but often ignored part of peace processes. How do these nonviolent wars evolve? How can the power of fragile states be challenged through nonviolent means in the aftermath of armed conflict? And what is the role of diplomacy in countering such challenges? This book offers key insights for policy makers dealing with fragile states who seek answers to such questions.

Part I. The Battle: 1. We fired first
2. They fire back
3. The battle
4. The defeat
Part II. Reflections on the Battle: 5. Non-violent wars
6. Non-violent insurgency
7. Diplomatic counterinsurgency
8. The avalanche
9. Looking forward.

Subject Areas: International humanitarian law [LBBS], Law [L], International relations [JPS]