IMPORTANT LETTER American Senators Criticize State Department Over Electoral Reforms

(Patria) - A letter sent to the State Department on January 20, 2022, notes the objective circumstances of the security crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina and concludes that the current accommodation of only one option regarding the election law is unacceptable, reported Erol Avdović, a journalist from New York.

"We are concerned that our diplomatic efforts to support the necessary electoral and constitutional reforms in Bosnia are not yielding sufficient results. We urge the State Department to reconsider its approach to ensure that our strategy (is inclusive) includes broader political institutions of BiH, including parliament, ministries, and other state institutions, and is robust enough to achieve our goals."

This is stated in the letter, photos of which were published by Avdović, and which was sent by US Senators Jeanne Shaheen of the Democratic Party (Chair, Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Europe) and Senator Ron Johnson of the Republican Party (Security Cooperation and Regional Security Cooperation). The letter was addressed to one of the leading figures at the State Department, Dr. Karen Donfried (Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, The United States Department of State), who is the head of Escobar and Palmer. I would say it's better that the letter was sent than to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is primarily preoccupied with Ukraine and talks with Russia about it, Avdović believes.

"The letter implies two quite justified criticisms: the current American approach of insisting on changes to the election law to satisfy HDZ BiH is wrong and simply un-American and anti-European - because it is not inclusive.

After all, insufficient inclusivity is stated as a direct objection, and this is explicitly stated in the letter. And secondly - the entire approach to electoral reforms in BiH goes through several diplomats led by Matthew Palmer and the outgoing US Ambassador to Sarajevo Eric Nelson, which, along with Gabriel Escobar, who seems to have somewhat distanced himself from the process for which he rightly does not want responsibility (because it is Palmer's remit) -- is neither a robust nor adequate approach. Nor is it, as stated in the letter - sufficiently fruitful.

It can be assumed that the "inspection" on the ground, carried out in 48 hours by USAID Administrator Samantha Power, will be forced to deal with political, not just development issues in BiH this time - which will greatly contribute to a revision of the entire American approach to this problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina. And not to put it in a potential, or possible package of "appeasement" - the dangerous act of making concessions to Russia at the expense of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sooner this is understood, the sooner the way out of the crisis will begin.

This means that the media news from January 20, 2022, that the "Americans are ready", as reported from Washington - "to meet HDZ halfway on the election law in BiH" - must be further analyzed and scrutinized. Because, in Washington, there are clearly also those Americans - excellent experts, who view this problem differently, wrote Erol Avdović.