Leiden University Student Repository

Gelton, Bas 2019

A Change of Hearts: From Paris to Dayton

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

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This thesis examines the factors that motivated the foreign policy of the French presidents François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac during the Bosnian War. The findings explain the reasoning and the...Show moreThis thesis examines the factors that motivated the foreign policy of the French presidents François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac during the Bosnian War. The findings explain the reasoning and the consequences of their strategy. The results contribute to the understanding of the diplomatic relations in the 1990s, explain the style of Mitterrand and Chirac, and complement the existing literature on French foreign policy and the Balkan Wars. This paper utilizes a variety of sources linked to Mitterrand, Chirac, the international institutional actors, and the Yugoslav Wars. These sources include newspaper articles, transcripts of telephone conversations, (auto)biographies, press conferences, institutional documents, and academic literature. As the leading supplier to the peacekeeping operations in the region, France held a dominant position in the international community. The conflict ended with the signing of a peace agreement in 1995 after four years of conflict. The resolution emerged from military pressure by the West. Reasons for the delayed response by France and her allies remained unclear. However, the findings in this paper elucidate that Chirac’s strategies had an important impact on the construction of a western solution. Contrarily, Mitterrand’s rhetoric and policies added to an unresponsive diplomatic environment where the use of military pressure was non-negotiable. Chirac’s strategy to pressure his international equals for the use of force and his preference for the involvement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization stimulated an adequate response. Therefore, Chirac’s policy aided the response by the West that ended the Bosnian War whereas Mitterrand’s actions had the reversed effect. This implies that French foreign policy impacted the duration of the conflict. The period of war might have been shorter if military pressure was exerted in an earlier stage. Furthermore, the difference in strategy between the presidents contradicts the characterizations of the presidents. Mitterrand is famous for is a cooperative approach which was lacking during the conflict in the Balkans. Chirac is regarded as a president that preferred French military independence but co-produced an effective response with his western partners.Show less