If patriotic forces do not wake up from their stupor and stand firm, one morning we will wake up in someone else's country

(Patria) - Geopolitical analyst and professor at the International University in Sarajevo, Jahja Muhasilović, appeals to patriotic forces to wake up from the stupor they have fallen into, and to finally do something adequate and concrete to tackle the dangerous hybrid war waged against BiH by its internal and external enemies.

Much is also up to us

- We are aware that both the Serbian and Croatian factors are acting against our country, but also that the international community has been actively working to weaken it in recent years, primarily the Bosniak factor.

But, by God, if we are to look in the mirror and objectively assess things, much is also up to us. I do not see that patriotic forces, or the pro-Bosnian bloc, are doing enough, or anything concrete, to prevent this hybrid war waged against BiH.

First, they need to find the strength within themselves to respond adequately, second - to consolidate and unite, and then come out with a strategy of action, and for everyone to adhere to it. Without that, I fear that what they are doing to us will only continue, Muhasilović says in an interview with Patria.

There is a lot of populism, bickering within the pro-Bosnian component, as well as between that patriotic bloc and those who publicly state that they do not love our country. Muhasilović warns that our resistance has been reduced to online activity.

- Some media, including the Patria News Agency, publish something, a couple of analysts say something on the topic, and all resistance is reduced to that. But that is not enough. We cannot resist such a strong machinery with just that. All our political elite must activate and stand in defense of the country.

They are now trying to achieve politically what they failed to achieve during the war in the period 1992-1995. And they are succeeding well and smoothly so far, precisely because we are divided, because we lack an exit strategy, and because we are doing nothing about it.

And if we maintain such an attitude, we will constantly lose Bosnia and Herzegovina day by day, and one day wake up in someone else's country. Even if we started now, I fear it is too late.

The situation is quite alarming, but the sooner we start working towards the defense of BiH, the easier it will be for us to defend ourselves, Muhasilović states.

He says he is further saddened that there are certain frictions within the pro-Bosnian bloc as well, at a historical moment when there should be none at all.

- The frictions and discord between the four parties that are currently out of power are particularly worrying, which further encourages the enemies of Bosnia and Herzegovina to strike even harder.

I am also saddened when I see that certain committees within the SDA, as the strongest Bosniak party, are arguing among themselves. Precisely at a time when we do not need it. Half of the solution is up to us, and the other half is the fight we need to wage against the enemies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Muhasilović emphasizes.
Muhasilović: Our resistance has been reduced to online activity

The Islamic Community should also be more active

He believes that the Islamic Community of BiH should also be more active, that through its committees, jamaats, and councils, it should start explaining to people what is actually happening in our country, because, Muhasilović says, the vast majority of the public still does not understand it.

Our interlocutor reminds that the leaders of RS and SNSD, Milorad Dodik, who does whatever he wants without fear of any consequences - threatens secession, passes laws in the National Assembly of RS, celebrates the unconstitutional day of RS... were brought to power by the Americans, at a historical moment when the SDS compromised itself due to the genocide committed against Bosniaks.

- They needed some Serbian politician, a Serbian factor, as a balancer of potential Bosniak demographic opportunism, which they were aware of even before the war. So, someone like Dodik was needed to prevent that. And Dodik plays that role.

I personally believe that, perhaps not directly, but indirectly, the international community and Dodik are in cahoots, and that he is fulfilling precisely those tasks for which he was primarily brought to power - to weaken Bosniaks, or to prevent BiH from ever becoming a Bosniak state, or, even better, to never come to life as a civic one.

Even before Dayton, they had a plan that Bosnia and Herzegovina, if its Army defended itself, would survive only as a consociation of three peoples, in which three peoples would balance according to the system of constitutionality. We see that the US and the international community stubbornly adhered to that when Dayton was signed.

And it is even more indicative that the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was stopped before Banja Luka, when we had that historical momentum for that Bosnian patriotic force to reach its natural borders - the Drina River. But the US and the international community prevented us from doing so, Muhasilović states.

The agreement with the great powers, he adds, is the reason why the US administration and the international community are yielding to the Serbian factor, which has become "frenzied" in recent years.

It seems likely that we could soon witness the use of the High Representative's Bonn powers again. Seven days ago, Christian Schmidt was in Zagreb with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and today he met with the leader of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović.

We asked Muhasilović if he also gets the impression that Schmidt was actually just asking for permission from Plenković and Čović to use the Bonn powers again?

- With this prelude - the desire to modernize the electoral process, Schmidt is essentially buying himself space and an alibi so that further imposition of what HDZ has requested can follow.

And when he fulfills the demands of HDZ, he will say - well, have we modernized the electoral process, what is the problem now, why are you complaining, there will be no more electoral fraud. And then he will push through Čović's demands for the Presidency and everything else he wants.

I think the international community is slowly preparing us psychologically to ultimately satisfy Čović. This is just a preliminary step to satisfy the ambitions of Zagreb and Čović in BiH.

I believe that Schmidt will resort to the Bonn powers when he thinks the momentum is right. And with this reform of the electoral process, he is slowly building space for himself to do something like that. Because that is actually the primary goal, not this electronic voting that is being talked about, Muhasilović concludes for Patria.

(D. Kovač)