Čović in the final, Dodik in the ditch: How the HDZ leader used SNSD extremism in the fight against BiH and Bosniaks

(Patria) - The extraordinary session of the assembly of the smaller BiH entity concluded in the early morning hours.

The adopted conclusions are not harmless, however, from the initial ambition to, due to the trial of Milorad Dodik before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, illegally and unconstitutionally prohibit the work of SIPA and the BiH Prosecutor's Office in the territory of the smaller BiH entity through parliamentary conclusions, through a long discussion, it was concluded that Dodik should still appear in the courtroom of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Milorad Dodik himself was not present in the entity assembly this time, so figures like Nenad Stevandić tried to transform themselves into the new leader of Serbian political life in BiH, with more or less success.

In the end, the general impression is that Milorad Dodik emerged from the session, which he did not even attend, politically weaker than he was before it. It is evident that Dodik's political authority has been shaken.

While Dodik advises students in Belgrade from his sickbed, urging them to be responsible and understanding towards the regime they live under, on the other hand, Aleksandar Vučić is merely concerned, but does not urge anyone in the entity assembly to have particular understanding for the position Dodik finds himself in.

Serbia and Vučić, of course, stand behind Dodik, but their concern for each other does not seem to be reciprocal. Especially since, regarding the entire problem Dodik finds himself in, he does not seem to have followed Aleksandar Vučić's line, and especially not his stance towards the High Representative in BiH Christian Schmidt.

Most likely, Dodik's trial for disrespecting the decisions of the High Representative will continue before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It probably would not have happened if Milorad Dodik had followed the softer approach advocated by Aleksandar Vučić in his dealings with Christian Schmidt (who has done nothing in the interest of BiH, and especially not in the interest of Bosniaks), who received Schmidt on several occasions and thereby legitimized Schmidt's position.

Instead, Milorad Dodik recklessly attacked Schmidt, who has not made any decision contrary to the interests of Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This kind of Dodik's political aggressiveness in this specific case was clearly not supported by Vučić himself to the extent Dodik desired and sought support for.

By maintaining a distant relationship with Dodik's political extremism and maintaining cordial diplomatic relations with Schmidt, Aleksandar Vučić has further strengthened himself in the eyes of the West and the Americans as someone who advocates for political stability, which is the complete opposite of the poor relative from the village (Dodik) who always and repeatedly creates a new environment of instability.

The main political reason why Dodik is on trial before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is that the former president of the RS entity (he has since transferred his powers to the Vice-President of the RS, Davor Pranjić from HDZ) did not follow Aleksandar Vučić, nor did he respect the Americans' stance on Christian Schmidt. Dodik, in his attacks on Schmidt, was guided by the interests of Dragan Čović and HDZ BiH.

Infinitely enamored with Čović and HDZ and their engagement primarily directed against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and especially Bosniaks, Dodik, although Schmidt did nothing contrary to the interests of Serbs, recklessly attacked Schmidt. The more Dodik attacked Schmidt and hurled senseless accusations that Schmidt was a tool in the hands of Bosniak unitarists whom foreigners allegedly helped to abolish the RS, the more Christian Schmidt, proving that he was not a pawn in the hands of Bosniaks, suspended their constitutional rights and cemented the position of HDZ and Dragan Čović.

Dragan Čović was the one who perfectly exploited every attempt by Dodik to destabilize. Milorad Dodik sent this very request to suspend the jurisdiction of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, SIPA, and the HJPC at the height of the negotiations on amendments to the Election Law, at the end of 2021. Of course, nothing came of the realization of these requests. The only thing Dodik succeeded in was widening the front against pro-Bosnian parties at a time of intense diplomatic offensive by Croatia. In short, Dodik has repeatedly proven to be Dragan Čović's useful idiot and a means of additional pressure on Bosniaks.

Dragan Čović profited the most from Dodik's political extremism, as he received full control of the Federation of BiH from Schmidt, while today Dodik is before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for disrespecting the decisions of Christian Schmidt, the very man who gifted Čović the Federation of BiH.

Before Dragan Čović held a funeral service over Milorad Dodik's sickbed, it is worth remembering that the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, also visited Dodik. Both Čović and Plenković can be satisfied with everything Milorad Dodik has done in recent years in joint efforts to put political Sarajevo in a double embrace. On the other hand, Dodik is left to endure petty, sarcastic remarks and slander from the leaders of the 'Trojka' (Three parties), who compensate for their subservient relationship with Dragan Čović and Andrej Plenković by slandering Milorad Dodik to foreigners, which Dodik's (un)faithful ally Dragan Čović also has no need to worry about.

The alliance between Dodik and Čović is one of the longest-standing alliances on the political scene of BiH. Although it once seemed that HDZ was actually Dodik's Croatian Community, the unfolding of political relations indicates that, in plain language, Čović is in the final, and Dodik is in the ditch.

The question remains open - isn't it time to shuffle the cards differently?

(M.T.)