On the eve of the regional conference in Sarajevo, “Surging Fascisation and Two Jubilees”, Radenko Udovicic from the Association Network for Building Peace stated to journalists that this gathering, in a series of debates, should offer the participants’ stances, that is, their views on solutions regarding the stabilization of relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the region.
Udovicic emphasizes that the motives of the conference are the 30 years of the Dayton Agreement and 25 years of the Igman Initiative as the most significant organizations dealing with democratic processes in the region. The Dayton Agreement is marked in different ways, says Udovicic, reminding that a gathering was recently held in Zagreb “with a fairly national aspect” when participants requested changes to the Dayton Agreement “but in a different direction”.
The majority of speakers at the conference in Sarajevo are oriented towards finding solutions for a more functional state, better interethnic relations, and ways to fight against fascisation “which is evident and comes from the outside, just as everything bad came from the outside”.
“Right-wing regimes not only in the United States (U.S.) but also across Europe simply stimulate some right-wing things as well. Therefore, it is not a problem when we have only various verbal manifestations of nationalism and fascism; however, if that were to turn into action, and it could, it would be very dangerous. It is very important that through discussion, positive media reports, and giving space to people who fight against this and offer solutions, we do something. The conference should, in a positive sense, we hope, respond to these phenomena, and that is the essence and main motive,” said Udovicic.
Vehid Sehic, representative of the Igman Initiative, states that a prerequisite is also politicians who want changes and sincerely advocate for membership in the European Union (EU). However, there are many opponents of the EU, adds Sehic, because they are aware that they would not be able to behave as they do today.
Others, however, want a democratic BiH with respect for individual and collective human and civil rights because without that, there is neither democracy nor equality.
“There are attempts by some other actors to affirm a culture of dialogue within BiH – because it is hard for us to fight to establish good neighborly relations if inside BiH itself we have these three sides, opposed to one another, with a wrong politics of spite which in principle brings good to no one. Each of them bears a part of the responsibility. Thus, we expect to have an opportunity at the elections as the only democratic way. Unfortunately, the narratives of those who have been ruling these areas for more than 30 years… it is hard to find a common solution with them because they do not have mutual trust in one another, so in such a situation we have a politically unstable situation with a regressing economy, [and] social insecurity,” said Sehic.
Necessary are respect for individual and collective human and civil rights, freedom of opinion based on facts and not based on perception, as well as true facing of the past based on facts because it is unacceptable to live in a state ‘with three truths’, he concluded.
Zoran Pusic from the Igman Initiative of Croatia points out that, looking locally and globally, “a certain darkness has fallen which has parallels with events from the beginning of the thirties in Europe”.
“What happened in Zagreb and in three other cities in Croatia actually showed the revolt of citizens and is actually surprising. I noticed that already when we organized the commemoration of the suffering of the victims of Kristallnacht, there were more people than ever before,” he stated.
A civic and democratic state of BiH is possible, believes Pusic, the question is only who the people at its head are.
“Who expected that at the head of the oldest modern democracy would come a man who destroys institutions like the worst autocrat, [and] in Europe encourages the worst extreme right-wingers to take power? We concentrated on our problems, but I think that globally the situation is much worse,” said Pusic, among other things.
His conclusion is that the EU has never been more threatened, as well as that it is less threatened by Vladimir Putin than by Donald Trump.
Aleksandar Popov from the Igman Initiative of Serbia believes that a conference like yesterday’s in Sarajevo should be celebrating a democratic and functional BiH, given that 30 years have already passed since the Dayton Agreement, but that reality is unfortunately quite different – nationalists and nationalisms compete there even today.
“The worst part is that even the global situation does not suit the resolution of such a state because it is itself in a desperate state. Just look at Europe and its internal crisis, and America, at the same time, throws spanners in the works as if they are not partners but opposing sides. So viewed from that side, that is a big minus for resolving the situation in BiH, and unfortunately, neither are the neighbors… Instead of contributing to the stabilization of the situation, Serbia has, during the period, behaved paternalistically over one BiH entity and at the same time undermined the integrity of BiH. Even recently, the concept of the ‘Serbian World’ was promoted, which is very dangerous not only for BiH but for the region as a whole. Recently, Croatia has joined this too, so we see that it started from election laws, the creation of a third entity,” said Popov.
Branislav Radulovic on behalf of the Igman Initiative for Montenegro points out that 30 years after Dayton, that is, the frozen war in BiH, unfortunately “frozen societies” also exist, incapable of building a European future both in BiH and Serbia and even in Montenegro which was a positive example in the Western Balkans, but right-wing turns led to very dangerous nationalist outbursts like the recent case with alleged Turkish citizens who were actually citizens of a completely different country.
“We must be aware that our societies do not have healthy political elites even in that left structure and that is why on December 19th in Podgorica there will be a large civic gathering organized by “Stega”, an informal civic association, which will give an answer primarily to the repression against 35 Montenegrin citizens who showed resistance to all those “values” which actually affirm the right-wing, clericalism, nationalism and primitivism which at least in earlier years was not a characteristic of Montenegrin society,” said Radulovic.
Yesterday’s conference in Sarajevo is an ideal opportunity to convey the messages that our civil societies are not strong and that they must connect.
“At this moment, I am afraid that our politically established subjects are not capable of making our societies European, and in that moment, it is natural that the academic community, civil societies, intellectuals, and individuals raise their voice, and this opportunity today is ideal to raise such a voice,” said Radulovic.
The conference “Surging Fascisation and Two Jubilees” in Sarajevo was organized on the occasion of 30 years of the Dayton Agreement and 25 years of the Igman Initiative. According to the announcement of the organizers from the Association Network for Building Peace, the Igman Initiative, and the association ProPeace, it is a regional dialogue on peace, democracy, and the challenges of contemporary society.
The goal is to open a public dialogue on the contemporary relevance of the Dayton Agreement, growing processes of fascisation in the region, democratic backsliding, and the role of civil society and regional networks in preserving peace, cooperation, and civic values, Federalna writes.
