David Pettigrew, professor of philosophy at Southern Connecticut State University and a member of the Working Group for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), sent an open letter to the United States (U.S.) Secretary of State, Antony John Blinken demanding constitutional and electoral reforms in BiH in accordance with the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights: a vision and a new manifesto for democracy in BiH for the 21st century.
We transmit the letter in its entirety:
”With the Russian Federation’s (RF) renewed support for separatists among Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat forces, the hard-won peace in BiH is once again under threat. BiH is facing the possibility of the Republika Srpska (RS) becoming the new Donbas, as well as the creation of a third entity within the country. BiH again needs the support of the U.S. in order to avoid a renewed conflict. However, this time, the ethnonationalism ideologies of division and discrimination that were institutionalized and ossified thanks to the Dayton Peace Agreement must be systematically removed from the Constitution and the electoral system in order to counter Russian inflows, bring stability to the region and ensure lasting peace.
Indeed, without a thorough restructuring of the Constitution established in Dayton, meaningful change for BiH will not be possible. Therefore, we, the undersigned citizens and friends of BiH, propose two key initiatives for U.S. involvement in BiH in the direction of urgently needed constitutional and electoral reforms. Among the prominent signatories are Azra Zornic, Jakob Finci, Dervo Sejdic, Slaven Kovacevic, Zlatan Begic, David Pettigrew, Adil Kulenovic, Tanya Domi, Bojan Sosic, Hazim Basic, Samir Beharic, Azra Berbic, Vildana Bijedic, Sonja Biserko, Stefica Galic, Marion Kraske, Kurt Bassuener, Senadin Lavic, Carole Hodge, Satko Mujagc, Janusz Bugajski, Emir Ramic, Daniel Serwer, and Aida Ibricevic.
First, we encourage the U.S. to initiate and support the process of creating a completely new social contract for the 21st century in BiH. Instead of a complicated and extremely expensive management system that includes the state government (Council of Ministers), two entities, and ten cantons, management would be transferred to Bosnian municipalities, which would result in a democratic model that is more locally based and citizen-oriented.
Second, we appeal to the U.S. to encourage the Office of the High Representative to implement constitutional and electoral reform throughout the territory of BiH in accordance with the relevant judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, including the judgment in the Zornic v. BiH case. The judgments of the European Court are consistently opposed to the discriminatory prioritization of constituent ethnic groups in BiH and call for democratic reforms. Such democratic reforms would mean that all citizens are able and have the right to run for any position in their municipality and thus have the right to be elected to represent their municipality in the state parliament. Such a reform would also help BiH meet the conditions for European Union (EU) membership.
Therefore, our letter to Minister Blinken proposes a thorough change in the U.S.’s foreign policy regarding the reform of the Election Law in BiH. We are opposed to accommodating HDZ, an ethnonationalism political party that intends to ensure that one of its members is elected to the Presidency as a so-called “legitimate” representative of Bosnian Croats. Such a result would only further deepen ethnic divisions and create a situation in which two out of three members of the Presidency would seek a way to undermine BiH’s sovereignty.
We encourage the U.S. to support real constitutional and electoral reform that would ensure a sustainable democratic political culture in BiH. With international interference in internal Bosnian issues by Croatia, Serbia, and the RF, and with the worsening of social divisions within BiH through increasingly pronounced hate speech, denial of genocide, and glorification of convicted war criminals, as long as threats of secession and the creation of a third entity continue, there is no time to waste.”
The working group for BiH, which brings together BiH and international intellectuals, sent the same letter to a number of prominent U.S. senators and representatives, including Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Murphy, and Benjamin Cardin.
