almanac on security sector oversight in the Western Balkans

fourteen police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Legal reforms of the security sector
were shaped by political conflicts among the three major ethnic groups and their
political elite, who have conflicting opinions on national security principles and the
scope of reforms. As a result, the current security system is not based on a coherent
system of democratic values. Due to political disagreements, the law fails to attribute
competences and jurisdiction over security actors clearly. Recurrent discussions over
the need for and the scope of reforms also threaten the efficiency of the security sector.
For example, these political disagreements have led to cuts in resources allocated
for reform, a particularly troubling tactic amidst the potential economic crisis that
Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing.
Security sector reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a complex process. The existence
of multiple interrelated factors complicates attempts to provide clear insight into all
achievements and progress. The methodology used for this research, 36 developed in
coo peration with our regional partners, is aimed at offering answers based on empirical
inquiry, to present an all inclusive approach to oversight, monitoring and measurability
of the security sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. By using primary and secondary
sources and by applying new evaluation criteria, we will give insight to the degree
to which security sector reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been achieved.
An idea that both characterises the difficulty of this research and represents an approach
the authors have used in an attempt to overcome these difficulties is best reflected
in the statement the “security sector reform is the art of possible” (Nathan,
2006). The attitudes of certain security actors towards monitoring by civil society created
problems during the research. These problems were compounded by objective
circumstances, such as inadequate data on court cases, as well as by subjective circumstances,
such as an unwillingness of the Intelligence-Security Agency of Bosnia
and Herzegovina to cooperate. Despite these limitations, this chapter represents a
pioneering attempt at research in Bosnia and Herzegovina on security sector governance.
Its purpose is to provide readers a critical analysis and to inspire other academics
and professionals to expand research in this domain.
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1.2. Patterns of democratic accountability of the security
sector
Democratic oversight of the security sector and accountability of these institutions
represents a condition of democracy. With the intention of meeting this condition in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, all significant measures of control – including parliamentary
control, executive control, judicial control and control by independent state bodies
such as the ombudsmen or state audit office – have been established and are functioning.
The following chart summarises the major security sector actors and overlapping
mechanisms for oversight:
36 See the chapter by Sonja Stojanovic ‘SSR Index – Measuring to Advance Democratisation’ in this
Almanah for more details on the methodology.