On the Phenomenon of Populism and Extremism in the Balkans

Abstract

This paper is based on my personal experience of war and peace in Bosnia. The basic notion is that it is easier to start a war than to stop it. Thus, postwar recovery or peacebuilding is not easy. But thanks to open-minded people who have been all along against a mythical populism that caused the bloody war against Bosnia and its autochthon people, the peace, although unjust, was reached after all. The focus here is on the idea of pluralism in Bosnia as an opposite to "populism" and "extremism." For a positive narrative like pluralism is a good way to encounter today’s threat of "populism" and "extremism." A positive or optimistic narrative is creative while a negative and pessimistic one is depressive and discouraging.