Mujanović: America remains the most effective arbiter in the Balkans

WASHINGTON, (Patria) - Political analyst and lecturer at Elon University in North Carolina, Jasmin Mujanović, in his authored text for the reputable American daily The Washington Post , highlighted that American policy in the Balkans is changing, and that the possible consequences of these changes are extremely worrying.

- The American ambassador in Pristina recently made statements suggesting that Washington is now, at the very least, open to considering the partition of Kosovo as a way to resolve the long-standing dispute with Serbia over the country's status. And in neighboring Bosnia, Republican Party lobbyists and former high-ranking officials in Trump's campaign and administration are beginning to work in favor of the government of Milorad Dodik, a secessionist, a genocide denier, who has the support of the Kremlin and the support of the Serbian government – Mujanović wrote.

He states that Dodik is still formally under sanctions from the US government for "actively obstructing" the Dayton Peace Agreement, for which the US is most responsible.

Mujanović points out that "the US secured peace in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, but since September 11th, it has largely abandoned its leading position in regional issues and handed it over to the European Union".

This political analyst states that "Washington, however, has shown that it is ready to return to the game whenever Brussels' foreign policy lacked decisiveness, which has often been the case.

- Only the US, for example, saw fit to sanction Dodik in early 2017 for holding an unconstitutional referendum on the establishment of Republika Srpska, despite repeated warnings against such a move from the entire international community – Mujanović states.

Mujanović emphasizes that "although US policy in the Balkans is complex and often unpredictable, America remains the most effective arbiter in this region".

- The benign neglect that characterized the approach of the Bush and Obama administrations largely coincided with the long-term destabilization of the region. But even so, there was never any doubt about the official American position regarding this region. Washington supported the expansion of the EU and NATO, and insisted on the need for dialogue and diplomacy instead of nationalist policies. Most importantly, it had a firm stance on the territorial integrity of all existing states in the region. The obvious disregard for these principles by the Trump administration threatens to undo the hard-won peace in the Balkans.

While the involvement of Republican lobbyists with Dodik's government may seem comical — American charlatans profiting from the naive hopes of a provincial strongman — it is a familiar pattern. For the umpteenth time, members of Trump's entourage are closely cooperating with regimes and movements linked to Russia that explicitly oppose and actively seek to undermine the interests of the EU and America – Mujanović believes.

He believes the consequences are worrying and warns that redrawing borders in the Balkans leads to inevitable bloodshed.

- Sober politicians in Washington must not allow dangerous extremists in the Balkans to believe that their time has come again – writes Mujanović.

Mujanović called on the US government to urgently clarify its positions on the territorial integrity of Kosovo and Bosnia, as well as other countries formed from the breakup of former Yugoslavia.

- Republican leaders must rein in their mercenaries in the Balkans – emphasized Jasmin Mujanović.