Bosnia and Herzegovina is in crisis, institutions are collapsing, patriotism is being stifled: NATO and EU hesitate to act

(Patria) - The topic of today's Circle 99 session was “Crisis Preparedness in BiH”, and the presenters were Prof. Dr. Enver Halilović and Fuad Đidić, former diplomat and publicist.

Halilović believes that in the new vision of the world order without Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina is being imposed, directly or indirectly, some non-European strategic orientation.

“On the one hand, from the Russian-Serbian side, Bosnia is being imposed a Russian-Chinese, Eastern variant, abandoning the European path, and on the other hand, from the Croatian side, Bosnia's European path is conditioned by a new ethno-territorial election law that deepens the ethnic division of the FBiH and revives Herceg Bosna. Considering, on the one hand, the real scientific, technical, economic, demographic, geostrategic, cultural, and numerous other potentials of Europe that make it a realistically promising world power, and on the other hand, Bosnia and Herzegovina's geographical, historical, political, cultural, etc. belonging to Europe, there is no doubt that neither Russia-Serbia-China, nor an ethno-territorially divided FBiH, or a divided BiH in the EU, is the orientation for Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Halilović stated.

He is of the opinion that BiH must integrate into the new historical currents, legal-political, and social values of Europe.

“Considering the incompatibility of ethnocentrism with European political and civilizational values and standards of daily life, the insistence of the leadership of Croatia and HDZ BiH on introducing the ethno-territorial principle of electing the BiH Presidency member from the Bosnian Croat people as a condition for Croatian consent to BiH's entry into the EU is worrying. Unconstitutional changes to the BiH Election Law only strengthen political ethno-territorial discrimination in BiH and, instead of bringing BiH closer, it moves it further away from the EU.

HDZ BiH is abusing the current government crisis at the level of the state of BiH. In the relations between the judicial institutions and security agencies of BiH with the secessionist leadership of the RS, HDZ is on the side of Serbian separatism. Croatia refuses to impose sanctions on the secessionist regime of the RS, recognizing the RS, not BiH, as a neighbor. Therefore, the claim and the Trojan horse launched by the Croatian leadership that BiH's path to Europe leads through Croatia is a notorious lie. The truth is, at this historical moment, that the path of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU leads through Croatia as much as it does through Russia or Serbia,” says Halilović.

Đidić is of the opinion that BiH cannot sit idly by while Europe prepares for crises and war with Russia.

“One era is over, and a new era has begun. Instead of 'post-conflict', we are precisely living in a time of 'pre-conflict' society. We are facing new crises, changes, conflagrations. The concept of 'agreement of peoples' is over. It no longer exists as a political driving force. Instead of making us safer, this concept makes us weaker every day. We are in new realpolitik circumstances,” he states.

Both he and Halilović point out that initiatives have been launched to form two military alliances: Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo, and a new 'pro-Russian' initiative for a 'military alliance' of Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Republika Srpska.

“These 'alliances' pose a threat to the survival of BiH and, to a large extent, resemble some 'pre-war alignment' based on the principles of naked realism. BiH is in a military environment of opposing camps. Distrust is deepening, and insecurity is growing in the country. NATO and the EU, as key global guarantors of BiH's survival, have become less relevant to security. Our great concern is that these organizations do not show the ability to take full control over these alliances in which their member states are located,” states Đidić.

He also had a message for EUFOR, stating that they are inadequate for the scope and degree of the existing crisis regarding the situation with Milorad Dodik.

“Either you do not have enough forces for a credible message, or you do not have a clear policy. Stand in Brčko. Give us mental space for a new vision of the country. Dodik draws political strength from these weaknesses, as well as from the military alliance with Orban and the alliance with Čović. Citizens are deeply disturbed, impoverished, and the country has been turned into political misery and wretchedness. A perfidious war of economic and financial plunder of the country is being waged. We are at the peak of the dehumanization of an ethnic group. Bosniaks are called subhumans living in 'dens'. A fierce propaganda war of information is underway, in which citizens are deprived of information about the true roots and depth of the crisis. The vision or idea for a normal BiH is being stifled. The most prominent bearers of the idea for a normal BiH are threatened with physical liquidation. The population is consciously impoverished and deprived of all hope so that they can be more easily pushed into war for the benefit of a political elite. The process of collapsing BiH institutions has been initiated from all sides,” emphasizes Đidić.

He cited examples of the coronavirus pandemic and the disaster in Jablanica as evidence that we are facing a dysfunctional system.

“The complete inability and lack of responsibility of the authorities in caring for the safety, lives, and property of citizens have been demonstrated. We are faced with a lack of leadership, knowledge, and courage in the country. All patriotism is being stifled. The preparedness of BiH citizens cannot be shaped by these old and failed political concepts. We cannot and must not sit idly by in such a world. Our engagement is necessary. We are in a new security environment. No one will take care of us if we are not organized and prepared for the great crises that await us,” he concluded.