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ABSTRACT Bosnia-Herzegovina and Lebanon have been frequently subject of superficial comparisons: Similar images, the horror of internal strife, religiously and ethnically motivated killings initiated such observations. Nevertheless, Lebanon and Bosnia-Herzegovina are two multireligious countries, which deserve comparison. Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as Lebanon, are reminders of the diversity that existed throughout the Ottoman Empire, before it was leveled by the emergence of nation states. Beyond the historical, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Lebanon have developed many comparable traits, which help understanding the war that ensued in 1975 in Lebanon and in 1992 in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The fragmentation of the political sphere along national/religious lines, the destructive role played by neighboring countries and the economic crisis are just some of the factors which can be observed in both countries.
In 1995 a senior Serbian journalist, Milutin Milenkovic, published a short book in Belgrade entitled From Lebanon to Bosnia: Deja Vu in which he ought to trace the parallels between the wars in Bosnia and Lebanon. His comparison begins with a question: 'Is it simply the similarity of the religious, structures, cultural roots and political passions hinging on the heated theories of "blood-ties and the soil," that produce similar processes and events?'1 He continues his analysis by outlining the failures of Western policy and places the blame in both cases on 'Muslim fundamentalists'. Although he attempts to base his argument on factual evidence, his fundamental message resembles a statement by the former Minister of Information of the Republika Srpska, Velibor Ostojic, who claimed that 'Islam is rising everywhere. Christian Lebanon and Cyprus have fallen already. Furthermore Muslim reproduce very quickly.'2 Such claims necessitate a more profound comparison of Bosnia with Lebanon, beyond mere propaganda. Other comparisons between the two countries have been undertaken, though largely focusing on the outcome of the wals rather, than on their origins.3
At the level of global politics, the year 1989 has become as annus mirabilis, the caesura between the Cold War and the 'New World Order'. When focusing on conflicts at the intra-state level, the year has been less of a watershed then an embodiment of continuity. The war which had been ravaging Lebanon since 1976 slowly came to a close with the Tai'f agreement, signed in 1989 by the warring factions under Syrian auspices...