Realpolitički Responses to Security Threats: The Red Line We Must Not Cross!

(Patria) - Realpolitički responses to security threats in and around BiH is today's topic of Krug 99, with introductory speaker Irfan Halilagić, Prime Minister of Tuzla Canton.

"In less than a month we will also mark the jubilee, 80 years of statehood of our homeland.
80 years of restoration of historical borders dating back to the time of medieval
Bosnia. It is a pledge we must be aware of every second while holding responsible
positions in state structures.

Security comes first and it is a prerequisite for economic growth and development, investments, and progress in all other segments of society. Security must not be viewed ad hoc. It must be our permanent, strategic commitment and activities in this area must not depend on any turbulence or recomposition of power at any level," said Halilagić, adding:

"Security is a red line we must not cross."

Halilagić said that security can be viewed in two ways.

"On one hand, we observe internal security threats, and on the other, threats from outside BiH's borders. Today, unfortunately, we live in a time when global changes, political movements and, as we see, renewed geopolitical recomposition and creation of new spheres of influence daily increase, or at least keep simmering, certain aspirations and possibilities for the emergence of political and security turbulence for citizens, their property and the property of Bosnian-Herzegovinian society as a whole.

We hope that such movements or their consequences will not occur,
but history teaches us that we must be more cautious, prepared and equipped if such events do happen," he said.

Although he belongs to a new, relatively young or younger generation, observing
political movements on our domestic political scene, the region, and also on the global stage, he recognizes the significance and weight of the long-spoken phrase "Let us live as if there will be peace for a hundred years, and prepare as if war will break out tomorrow."

"Therefore, I believe it is necessary, along with continuous investment in infrastructure, a better standard for our citizens, strengthening social policy, to pay special attention to training specialist teams, civil protection, police and other security and intelligence structures, but also friends from other countries who can be of help and with whom in coordination we can better save human lives and work on reducing overall damage.

Yet history teaches us that friends in need are few, and the latest developments on the world political scene show that friendships are created or survive based on economic calculations and interests. Viewing things this way, Tuzla Canton in the past period, alongside record allocations for capital investments (46.5 million KM in 2022), allocated significant funds (around 15 million KM) for personnel and material-technical equipping of the Police Administration, and we also directed significant earmarked funds to equip civil protection services.

We sincerely hope that all this procured equipment and investments in personnel strengthening and training will be minimally used and exclusively for the purpose of assistance and support to the civilian population. However, the procurement of equipment, with the wish that we never use it for its primary purpose, also carries a message of deterrence to all those who have any violent pretensions towards Bosnia and Herzegovina," emphasized Halilagić.

The four armored tactical vehicles "Senator" will never leave Tuzla Canton, except
in case another police or civilian structure requests assistance and use of this equipment to help the population.

"In that case, we are ready to react and provide assistance throughout the territory of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and beyond. The procurement of this and such highly specialized and technologically very modern equipment is not and must not be understood as a threat to anyone or anything, except to those who choose to violate the law and endanger the security and property, primarily of the citizens of Tuzla Canton.

Based on security indicators, I can say that the security situation in Tuzla Canton, but also in the Federation of BiH, is satisfactory. On the other hand, the perception of the security situation in the eyes of citizens of the Federation of BiH is not such, that is, it is significantly worse than what objective indicators show. In Tuzla Canton, this was contributed to by several, mutually unrelated incident situations, which, due to the short time interval in which they occurred and spatial-geographical orientation, along with other factors, contributed to a negative subjective feeling among citizens. And this is certainly something that politics, the police in Tuzla Canton, but also all police agencies in the Federation of BiH need to work on, because such a perception contributes to the deterioration of the security situation.

Investment in equipment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is an opportunity to show, on one hand, that we can handle even the most demanding tasks, but also to show how ready and capable our structures are to respond to the greatest challenges," emphasized Halilagić.

Only a secure police officer can ensure a safe environment or bring a threat under control, he notes and adds - that is why it was very important for us to procure vehicles that will safely transport police officers to the scene.

"The best warning and indicator of the necessity of such action is the wounding of a police officer while arriving at the scene during the incident in Gradačac, where he was wounded in a passenger motor vehicle.

It is also important to note that this procurement is for the first time a purchase of modern equipment. This is not a donation. Thank God we have reached a level where we can, we are ready and able to procure the most modern equipment, and that we do not depend only on donated funds. And that is a kind of message. Also, the procurement of this equipment is a message about which side we belong to.

The equipment we are procuring is fully compatible with equipment used in Western European countries, and we are glad that Sarajevo Canton and the Federal Police Administration have also opted for this path and direction by procuring the same vehicles (Sarajevo Canton 2 vehicles, FUP – 1 vehicle). Therefore, the procurement of this equipment is also a message of alliance, partnership, which we in Bosnia and Herzegovina certainly count on, but we must not rely on it entirely.

That is why our focus is on, long neglected, reliance on our own forces and creating an active system of self-protection in emergency circumstances, which, I repeat, I hope will never come. The period that has passed has taught us a lot. The naivety in which we lived until the 90s of the last century taught us that 'for a conflict, TWO are NOT needed.' One side is enough, and the other is then forced either to suffer huge losses or to accept disappearance. Therefore, we believe that in today's circumstances, the issue of security is one of the most important political issues for responsible Bosnian, state-building political forces," he states.

Unfortunately, they are today disunited, segmented by personal and other interests, and such segmentation is precisely the most effective way to weaken the Bosnian-Herzegovinian political bloc.

"Given the global and regional political movements, but also the role and importance of Tuzla Canton as the economically most potent and most populous canton and region in BiH, today we are aware that we must pay significantly more attention to security issues and protection, and to eliminating dangers that could lead to unwanted consequences.

If such situations were to occur, it is of crucial importance that we have trained specialist teams, through civil protection, armed forces, police and other structures, who will be able to work very efficiently on saving human lives and reducing overall material damage," he added.