STOP THE CRISIS If the international community does not plan the division of Bosnia, Schmidt must call general elections in October!

By: Rasim Belko @rasimbelko

The international community, whose effective power is sublimated in the strength of the OHR and the High Representative, has largely caused the definitive greatest crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this time not only political but also security-related.

Before, and especially after the General Elections in 2022, we witnessed unprecedented pressure to bring about change in state government. And while alleged analysts convinced citizens before the elections that this change meant removing ethno-nationalist policies from state government, everything we have witnessed since October 2022 indicates that a disbalance has actually been created. And it was made in such a way that policies following Belgrade and Zagreb, i.e., the war policies of those centers, were opposed by policies that have neither the capacity nor the strength to oppose such policies.

At the same time, these new policies, created in the circles of the international community by faking a "new political approach," allowed the crisis to develop into a complete breakdown of government along the vertical.

These domestically imposed policies are responsible, but the fault lies with Schmidt and his principals. The fault because today we live in a time when Dodik is openly working on finalizing secession, while Čović is pursuing the same process in a different form.

If such an approach by the international community through Schmidt's powers was not intentionally created to collapse and then divide the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, then it is time for concrete action to neutralize and repair the damage. And there is no excuse, because after the General Elections, we saw how brutal they can be in their actions through that power.

Therefore, if their plan is not the division of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the principals from the international community and the implementer of their ideas, Schmidt, must undoubtedly act to primarily stop the crisis and then direct Bosnia and Herzegovina onto the Euro-Atlantic track.

In order to return to the discussion of integration and reforms, it is necessary for Schmidt, with the consent of key segments of the international community in BiH, to URGENTLY make a decision to include the institute of extraordinary elections in the BiH Election Law and issue an order to the Central Election Commission to call extraordinary General Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina along with the Local Elections in 2024.

Because, given that the Trojka has given unlimited power to Dodik in the upper house of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that thanks to Schmidt, Čović is "key" along the vertical, it is impossible to expect the crisis to be stopped by regular political decisions and dialogue. Dodik is aware of this, and even more aware of the fact that he will probably never have a better opportunity if Bosnia survives.

It is clear, then, that the need for extraordinary General Elections in October this year is more than urgent, and it is even clearer that only in this way will we stop Bosnia from sinking into new chaos, and possibly into a new armed conflict.

These days, it was written that the United States' policy towards the Balkans and Bosnia is changing, so it is expected that, as a key factor in these regions, it will have enough understanding for the need to urgently change the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Primarily because their past policy enabled Schmidt to create the current distribution of power at the state level, and even more visibly in the entity of FBiH. The US is a country of democracy, which likes to look at itself in the mirror as the cradle of democracy, so we expect it to help restore that democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a friendly country. Especially since their ambassador Michael Murphy was key to Schmidt's moves after the 2022 elections for reasons known to him.

If the Western embassies, the Peace Implementation Council, and Schmidt continue to behave as before, without a desire to correct their own mistakes, then it is clear that they are pushing Bosnia and Herzegovina towards conflicts and perhaps disappearance.

And no resolutions on the genocide in Srebrenica can correct that, because the international community in our country today behaves like the Dutch UNPROFOR forces and the UN itself when genocide was committed in a UN protected zone.

Schmidt has the opportunity, the West has the power to order him to do so, and we will clearly know their motives and intentions if action is not taken.