Internal party dynamics and party change in ethnically divided societies: The case of post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina

To what extent are political parties drivers or challengers to inclusive peace in post-conflict societies? To date, scholars have been preoccupied with analyzing how prescribed rules and regulations can shape parties’ character and behavior following peace settlements, much to the detriment of understanding the internal dynamics of parties in such contexts. This question is especially salient in societies where peace settlements prescribe power-sharing mechanisms that at the same time contribute to cementing wartime divisions. What explains party change, and especially moderation and radicalization in such contexts? What are the implications for political stability? Based on qualitative field data, this study probes these questions through an examination of the intra-organizational dynamics in selected parties in Bosnia-Herzegovina since the end of the Bosnian civil war. In particular, the article examines the protracted dimension and saliency of intra-party conflict as a source of adaptation, looking at the impact of internal factional competition in halting – or pushing forward – moderation. In doing so, the article moves beyond the common assertion of the inclusion-moderation hypothesis that electoral participation in itself is a driving force for moderation. Relatedly, the study challenges a common notion that radical groups are either inherently resilient or bound to relinquish extremist ideologies purely out of strategic interests.