BiH should heed Trump's warnings to counter Putin

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Last month, US President Donald Trump visited Brussels, where he called on NATO members to invest more than 2% of their GDP in defense, emphasizing that many are not meeting that guideline.

In an op-ed for the US publication The Hill, Ajla Delkić, director of the Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina in Washington, writes about Russian influence in the Balkans, primarily in BiH, where Russia, through the entity government in Banja Luka and RS President Milorad Dodik, is blocking BiH's NATO path.

- The last two US administrations have demanded the same from our European allies, assuring them that if NATO is to be the most successful military alliance in history, all members must be on an equal footing. However, according to NATO's latest assessment published last month, only five of the 29 Alliance members will reach the 2% target – Delkić states.

The text further states that among the four candidate countries for NATO accession, Bosnia and Herzegovina is in last place, with defense spending falling below 1% of the state's GDP.

- However, BiH should heed President Trump's message and more than double its investment. This will show goodwill to become a more credible NATO partner and help deter Putin's attempts to destabilize the Balkans.

The text warns that Russian presence in the Balkans is widespread, most pronounced in the smaller BiH entity of RS, where posters with Vladimir Putin's image are displayed on streets during every election cycle, and that the populist leadership of RS, which is corrupt and supported by the Kremlin, has been blocking Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to NATO for years.

It is also stated that RS has once again slapped the West in the face by purchasing military weapons from Serbia for its police forces, adding that Russia will train the special units.

- A month after the weapons purchase, RS President Milorad Dodik, a prominent genocide denier sanctioned by the US for obstructing the Dayton Peace Agreement that stopped the genocide in Bosnia, called for border changes in the Balkans. It is clear that Russia sees NATO as an existential threat and a deliberately imposed iron curtain, just as it was in Montenegro two years ago. According to the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Russia was responsible for an alleged coup attempt in Montenegro as the country prepared to join NATO – the text states.

It appears that extreme nationalism is on the rise again in the region, and with Russia in the driver's seat, conflict becomes more likely. The Council of Europe published a report last May warning that neo-fascism is growing in Croatia, and similar rhetoric comes from the Croatian nationalist party, HDZ. Dragan Čović, leader of HDZ BiH, has adopted rhetoric similar to that used by Slobodan Milošević, the text adds, warning of Čović's closeness to Russia and RS.

It also warns of the threat of a new genocide by Rajko Vasić from SNSD, at a time when the 23rd anniversary of the genocide was being commemorated in Srebrenica.

- The United States can best protect its interests by strengthening its allies – the text states.

The United States should be prepared to help Bosnia strengthen its defense capabilities; after all, it was NATO efforts led by the US that stopped the war in BiH in 1995. Given Russia's interference, it is crucial for Bosnia to pay attention to President Trump's call for increased defense spending.

In addition, Bosnia should consider the Swedish approach to Russia, which is reintroducing military conscription as part of its concern over Russian military exercises in the Baltics. By following Sweden's steps, Bosnia will not only increase its defense capabilities but also help reduce youth unemployment, which is among the highest in Europe.

Delkić notes that NATO was formed to defend against Soviet aggression, and that it continues to represent the primary role in the defense alliance against the increasingly pronounced global threat to Western democracy.

- Candidate countries like Bosnia and Macedonia must continue to support Western values and serve as an example to populist and anti-American regimes in the region – the text concludes.