Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina: contexts, drivers, and strategies

Reményi, Péter and Péter, Tamás László (2026) Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina: contexts, drivers, and strategies. In: 30 Years After Dayton: Contemporary Geopolitical, Socioeconomic and Demographic Processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Neighboring Countries. Univerzitet u Sarajevu - Prirodno -matematički fakultet; Geografsko drustvo u Federaciji Bosne i Hercegovine, Sarajevo, pp. 13-21. ISBN 9789926594091; 9789926890414

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Abstract

Hungary’s post-2010 Western Balkans (WB) policy has become more activist, with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) increasingly visible behind Croatia and Serbia. We situate this turn of events in three contexts: (1) a divided Balkans with renewed great-power competition, where the European Union’s internal crises and periodic enlargement fatigue created space for China, Russia, Turkey, and the United States, among others, to assert their interests; (2) a divided BiH whose Dayton-era power-sharing and international oversight enable external influence; and (3) a domestic sovereigntist turn in Hungary that favours regional power projection. We map the instruments across security deployments, economic statecraft, and political relations, and argue that BiH has a growing importance in Hungarian diplomacy that fits into the broader Hungarian–WB strategy. Hungary applies a multi-scalar, multi-faceted policy that combines security leadership, ideational projection, economic ties, and political support.

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