Melanie Cammett, a professor of international relations at Harvard University, who is writing a book on how people live together after violence with a focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lebanon and Northern Ireland, assessed in a statement to Fena that in BiH, perceptions of social norms and political interests are key factors that maintain tensions after the conflict.
As she says, these three countries are quite different contexts, but what they all have in common is that all three societies went through some form of violent conflict several decades ago, to varying degrees.
The professor is currently collecting first-hand data in the field, which will be completed soon, and explains that she is focusing on two key aspects that help explain why tensions persist and how they could be overcome.
“The first aspect is ordinary people. I don’t think people have a problem with each other. That’s the impression I get from everywhere, despite the established narrative that everyone looks at each other with distrust and hates each other after violence. I don’t think that’s true,” claims the distinguished political scientist.
Cammet, who is also the director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, believes that the majority of the population in Bosnia and Herzegovina wants to be on good terms with each other.
“They may not be marrying each other en masse, but I think people want to get along and that these people themselves are not the source of the problem,” she says, emphasizing that the problem lies in the perception of social norms that keep everyone in this “balance” of tension.
She emphasizes that the role of politicians is another aspect, or rather a problem that often appears in post-conflict environments such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Politicians often have a vested interest in maintaining tensions because it helps them consolidate their power. This is not specific to Bosnia and Herzegovina. I see it on all sides, including my own country, the United States, because we increasingly look like a place that needs help in resolving conflicts,” Cammett concluded.
She noted that one of the key questions of her research is what motivates politicians to behave in a certain way, and what might motivate them to change that behavior.
“Some of these motives are economic. All this that is happening is not a matter of religion, ethnicity or nationalism. In the end, it is about the control of resources,” Fena’s interlocutor is clear.
In her opinion, attention should be paid to what economic incentives can be applied or already exist, which would encourage cooperation.
In addition to economic ones, she adds that the focus of her work is also on basic electoral incentives.
“We know that politicians, when they have to win the votes of people from other communities, behave more politely and do not insult them so much. Therefore, the question arises of how to design policies, domestic or international, that would encourage politicians to behave more constructively,” says Cammett.
Also, she added, it is necessary to find a way out of the situation in which people are afraid to communicate constructively with each other, because only then can they move on with their lives.
Since she mentioned politicians as the main problem and cause of tensions, on this occasion the professor of international relations from Harvard sent a message to Bosnian and Herzegovina’s politicians.
“It may be rational for some politicians to continue with their practices because they have personal interests, whether economic or otherwise. However, society as a whole would have more productive growth. You will generate more revenue overall, you will have more resources if you can promote a more inclusive and conciliatory environment, Cammett says, adding that divisions are not good for business, “not to mention people’s mental health and general well-being.”
Melanie Cammett is also co-founder of the Global Network of Scholars on Identity and Conflict, which brings together scholars and practitioners around the world who work on issues related to peace, conflict and their resolution.
Her research covers ethnic politics, conflict, development and authoritarianism in the Middle East and other contexts. She is currently working on a book on how people live together after violence, with a focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lebanon and Northern Ireland.
Cammett is the author and co-author of several books, including the Oxford Handbook of Politics in Muslim Societies, Compassionate Communalism: Welfare and Sectarianism in Lebanon, which won the American Political Science Association’s Giovanni Sartori Award and an Honorable Mention for the Gregory Luebbert Award, and The Politics of Informal Social Welfare in the Global South, which won an Honorable Mention for the ARNOVA Award.
She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and professional publications, collaborates with development policy organizations, and is the recipient of several fellowships.
She holds a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, an MA from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a BA from Brown University.
