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The article is based on findings from two sociological surveys undertaken in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996 and 1999. It is shown that the views of Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs on the character of the common state are often highly conflicting and different from the official perceptions of the international community. It is argued that a viable solution to the Bosnian problem cannot neglect the issue of ethnicity and the need for an institutional structure which explicitly recognises the fact this is not an ordinary nation-state. Although there are short-term explanations for the violence in Bosnia, the situation is ultimately the outcome of a complex and delayed process of nation-building. Therefore, Bosnia is today faced with the same dilemma as before the war: how to construct a legitimate state in a situation where a common identity does not exist and no ethnic group constitutes a majority.

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