The Republic of Srpska and the Federal Republic Yugoslavia/The Republic of Serbia. From potential reciprocal and (con)federal ties to special parallel relations Cover Image

Република Српска и Савезна Република Југославија/Република Србија. Од могућих реципрочних и (кон)федералних веза до специјалних паралелних односа
The Republic of Srpska and the Federal Republic Yugoslavia/The Republic of Serbia. From potential reciprocal and (con)federal ties to special parallel relations

Author(s): Aleksa Buha
Subject(s): Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Geopolitics
Published by: Fakultet političkih nauka Univerziteta u Banjoj Luci
Keywords: Self-determination; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Republic of Srpska; Republic of Serbia; Fedral Republic Yugoslavia; special relations between RS and FRY/RS;

Summary/Abstract: In this paper; the system of parallel special relations established in 1997 between the Republic of Srpska and the then Federal Republic Yugoslavia, that is, since 2006 between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, are subjected to the critical analysis. The author believes that confederal ties should have been established instead of these relations. Parallelism of relations is a neutral “institution”, and only the principle of reciprocity may ensure the relations of encountering, mandatory reciprocity, “equal treatment” and sovereign equality of peoples. This principle was the only thing Serbian people in BH could have asked for, since the so-called international community and its war enemies, ever since the beginning of the war, saw it as the main culprit of all negative events in BH. The author shows that during and immediately after the war there were just too many opportunities for the RS, in response to the confederal steps of the FBH towards the Republic of Croatia, to make the same steps towards the FRY/RS. The author believes that the official Belgrade’s concern that the acceptance of these confederal relations with the Republic of Srpska would worsen the already difficult situation is not entirely justified and he thinks of it as the neglect of favourable constellations in this matter.

  • Issue Year: 2/2012
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 37-49
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Serbian