DEBATTEN OM DEN HÖGA REPRESENTANTEN I BOSNIEN OCH HERCEGOVINA En kvalitativ argumentationsanalys kring den Höga representanten i Bosnien och Hercegovina

Sammanfattning

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the evolution of the debate surrounding the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (OHR) in the light of the country’s recently granted candidate status to the EU, when asking how has the debate about OHR’s existence developed in the UN Security Council since Bosnia and Herzegovina gained canidate status to the EU? The thesis is investigating the debate within the timeframe of year 2014 to 2025. This study is using a qualitative argumentation analysis to compare the rhetoric before and after Bosnia and Herzegovina gained candidate status to the EU. The thesis is using the theory of Normative Power Europe (NPE) to understand the OHR as an instrument for the diffusion of European norms and as an actor behind implementing conditionality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, subsequently influencing the debate.The analysis shows a transformation in the debate around the OHR. The debate has become more centred around the individual High Representative when comparing the year 2014 with the years of 2022, 2024 and 2025. The critics of the OHR have increased their criticism towards the legitimacy of the OHR and the focus on arguments surrounding sovereignty issues have increased.