International studies, Vol. XI No. 4, 2011.
Review article
HDZ of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Origin, Organization And Ideology
Dario Nikić Čakar
; Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The author analyzes the formati on and activities of the HDZ of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1990s, starting with the premise that the HDZ BiH has not acted as an indigenous party in the political system of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but primarily as a branch of the Croatian HDZ. HDZ BiH has played a dual strategic game whose aim was a territorialization of Bosnia and Herzegovina and joining with Croatia those parts of the country on which the Croatians claimed their "historical rights". Reconstructing the ideological and organizational patterns of the HDZ BiH, the author offers persuasive interpretive arguments for the thesis of his Bosnian non-autochthony. Even the former name of the party "HDZ in BiH" or "HDZ for BiH" on the most
general identity level suggested a unique national platform according to which the Croatian people should live in one state in its historical borders. After the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995 the organizational and ideological links between the Croatian and Bosnian HDZ started to weaken. Tudjman's death in December 1999 and the change of government in January 2000 indicated a final termination of organic connection between the two parties.
Keywords
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ); Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosnia; Franjo Tudjman
Hrčak ID:
291638
URI
Publication date:
28.12.2011.
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