Bosnia and Herzegovina is ruled by lies and fear

How and why did an ordinary party declaration without any legally binding force take Bosnia and Herzegovina back to 1990?

Any change to the reinforced, then concreted political, administrative or factual scene of Bosnia and Herzegovina is an act that requires engagement and work that no one in this generation of politicians, both domestic and international, is willing or will undertake... First of all, because it is unimaginably a lot of work, and then (or before first of all), simply because no one needs it, no one is interested in it, and it is not in anyone's interest, or rather, no one sees their interest in it. Namely, too many people in the current insane state and situation earn too well, and too many actors have gotten too carried away with their historical roles... so any step towards any change of state - for the better or even for the worse - would leave too many people who are 'in charge' without money or without purpose.

The aforementioned equally applies to the declarative and resolute commitment to constitutional changes, internal territorial and administrative reorganization of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the establishment of a unified state, regional and local government with all the basic and supporting elements that such a move and process requires, as well as to the independence of RS and/or the legalization of Herceg Bosna as a third entity (instead of the tacit tolerance of the coordinated economic and propaganda occupation of West Herzegovina or everything south of Konjic).

In other words, if a unified BiH was anyone's strategic interest, not from 2009, but at the latest from 1999, strategic moves would have been made to first prevent the application of the ethnic and demographic structure of BiH, for example, however difficult it may be to imagine, by consistently and persistently insisting on the complete, effective and sustainable implementation of Annex VII of the Dayton Peace Agreements (return of displaced and refugees to their pre-war places of residence and living), if necessary with some radical measures such as administrative bans or prevention of undervalued property sales and settlement in parts of the territory under the control of ARBiH (more precisely, reintegrated municipalities of Vogošća, Ilijaš, Ilidža...), and then with a whole series of orders and prohibitions in spheres from politics to economics, or more clearly, from bureaucracy and administration through institutionalization to privatization.

Furthermore, a series of facts, the first of which is that the entire 'story' is being re-actualized by a party that has been at the forefront of fighting for the ethno-national rights of only one people for a quarter of a century, and that the re-actualization is happening at a time of all sorts of tensions and tugs-of-war regarding the (non)formation of government, and indecent conditioning of this or that from all sides, speaks more than the move itself.

In fact, in the best-case scenario, it is another transparent, operetta, and dangerous performance which, unfortunately, will only result in a countless number of omissions, old and new lies, and unfulfilled actions for a unified Bosnia and Herzegovina being swept under the rug. Besides that - and more dangerously - is that every such statement, however fragile in terms of the promiser and performer, plays into the hands of the proponents and executors of the work on the independence of RS and the legalization of HB, for whom, it should be mentioned, time is of the essence.

And then, neither BI with the entire SDA and IZ, nor ŽK with ten or even a hundred times larger and more influential DF, possess either the internal will and interested force, nor are they capable of gathering the critical - let's say, majority - needed to initiate any move on that path. Why? Simply: because they themselves - among others - are the ones who earn too well in this whole story and have roles they never dreamed of even in their wildest dreams.

All in all, whoever conceived it, it is another bad move by a below-average politician, no different from all previous ones, from the re-initiation of the lawsuit to the announcement of the revision of the name of RS, perhaps well-intentioned, perhaps genuinely motivated, perhaps even secretly desired... but usually ill-timed and disastrously executed... so that in the best case it looks like a foul in the penalty area of MD and DČ. Of course, there are also intentional fouls and intentionally misplaced balls.

The only sensible statement that appeared in the past few days of the theatrical parade for and against Bosnia (and Herzegovina) was made by ŽK, stating that (paraphrasing) 'The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not anyone's private or party property, nor political capital'... but a striving, a longing, and a dream too beautiful and fragile to be allowed to be dreamed by anyone (added EUK).

So how, and why, did an ordinary party declaration without any legally binding force take Bosnia and Herzegovina back to 1990?

Bosnia and Herzegovina, in spite of the Constitution, is not ruled by Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats, or Others... Bosnia and Herzegovina is ruled by fear and lies. Fear does not only rule inter-ethnic relations but, primarily, intra-ethnic ones because any opposition to the dominant ethno-nationalist narrative, at the very least, leads to accusations of national betrayal, and then to all other forms of direct and indirect pressure, mostly of an existential nature.

As for lies, there are several types. The biggest lie that we have all collectively and individually fallen for is that there are three sides in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There never were! There have always been only two: for and against Bosnia and Herzegovina. From the first four paragraphs, conclude for yourself who is against and who is for BiH, including these so-called civic, left-wing, independent, just, people's... And one of the most foolish is that a civic Bosnia and Herzegovina is at the expense of anyone, including the eternally minoritized or majoritized Croats...

What do Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina fear when, despite the verdict of the International Court of Justice for a joint criminal enterprise (it should stop being called JCE), they possess at least 50% of the power (if not more... it could be easily determined by an ethno-national census of state officials and employees, agency directors, and presidents and members of foundation boards...), control all budget flows at two levels: state and federal, indisputably and unquestionably rule in at least three cantons/counties in FBiH and share power in two or three more... while, at the same time, such participation in the RS government does not interest them at all?

What should Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina fear when, despite the verdict of the International Court of Justice for genocide, they possess the Republika Srpska, the only spoils from all the wars initiated and waged ever, and especially these few - God willing, the last ones - on the territory of the former SFR Yugoslavia?

Objectively, the only ones who have reason to fear are Bosniaks. The revived nationalist appetites of Croatia and Serbia are still not satisfied, partly because the current state and situation - although irresistibly reminiscent of the state established in 1939 by the Cvetković-Maček agreement - is only so *de facto*... for complete satisfaction, it needs to be defined *de jure*: to 'entitize' all or part of the Federation of BiH as Herceg Bosna, to secede Republika Srpska, and Bosniaks... to euthanize = to consider or make them non-existent, or to give them a sense of security, to gather them in an easily controllable territorial percentage where 'Muslims' will be the majority and rule, and to do everything to - partly from within, and partly from outside - radicalize them and self-destruct.

Stereotyping has never been good, and generalizations are regularly wrong because there are always exceptions (though, mostly those that confirm the rules). Therefore, not speaking of all, but of many... As far as I know ethno-national Serbs, they initiated wars for greater deceptions and smaller lies than the independence of Republika Srpska. As far as I know ethno-national Croats, if they don't emigrate and cheer from abroad, they will continue to wait to see who is stronger and then try to grab something for themselves in the muddy mire. As far as I know Bosniaks, and I know them best, it is very likely that their freshly discovered ethno-national policy with immense ignorance and meaningless mercy, multiplied by the diplomatic and political genius from the 'neighboring' former Muslim countries - like Andalusia, which they so gladly refer to - will lead them to the safe and warm embrace of an ethnically concentrated Bosniak territorial percentage.

The 'winners' will be satisfied: what they have is what they have, but it's ours... ours rule... if they steal, at least ours steal from us... we know who our friends are; they may be far away, but at least we know who they are... and so on, all that we have heard for almost thirty years...

Of course, none of the above will be possible without war, and of course, that is one of the reasons why, even after 25 years, people have not stopped talking about war, and recently more frequently and seriously than before.

In insincere relationships, it is hardest to tell the truth.

And the truth is: if nothing else: poverty, misery and destitution, emigration, illnesses that can only be treated by collecting alms and abroad... the terrible cases of Memić and Dragičević (by no means should the two girls killed at a pedestrian crossing in Sarajevo, Selma Agić and Edita Malkoč, be forgotten) show that all people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are troubled by the same or similar problems that have nothing to do with national or any other policy, and that among people and nations - even among Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats - in this country there is much more human potential that goes far beyond all superficialities and trivialities, beyond all obscurities of meetings in pubs, restaurants, hotels, and various wildernesses, beyond all illogical, unclear, and inexplicable mega-projects with two or three unprovoked detours up and down, beyond all highways to nowhere that overnight become express roads for this or that announcement of prosperity for so many or so many years...

If there is no - and there isn't! - any responsibility for spoken words, it must be introduced! I don't just mean the stretchable category of 'inciting racial, religious, and national hatred and intolerance or discord' criminally qualified by Article 145a of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina... but before and after all, I mean lies! If they are not ashamed, let them at least be a little afraid... of anything... at least of some Law.

Because, everything they have been selling us, substituting, deceiving us with, and persistently still convincing us that it is - it! - is, in fact, a lie! Small, large, party, systemic, institutional, national, everyday, pre-election, post-election, compensatory, coalition... but, only and exclusively lies!

And people are increasingly afraid.