A political economy of ethnic conflict ethno‐nationalism and organised crime

The failure of many conflict resolution interventions in the 1990s suggests the need for new research approaches into the dynamics of internal conflict. This article attempts to identify adversarial forces facing those charged with conflict resolution in Bosnia‐Herzegovina. It argues that the adversary is not a series of individuals as is often supposed, but rather a politico‐economic structure which has survived the end of open conflict. Focus is placed on the mechanics of violence with particular emphasis on the economic dimensions of ethnic cleansing, subsequent trading patterns and the political relationships within ethnically altered societies. Transnational criminal networks and parallel economies are identified as leading agencies within a structure which maintains legitimacy through the doctrine of ethno‐nationalism and the manipulation of the politically and economically disenfranchised.