The former ambassador of the United States of America to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Michael J. Murphy, reacted on the X social network to an article published in the American Washington Examiner, which advocates the breakup of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the recognition of Republika Srpska as an independent state.
Murphy assessed that in the last year, an increasing number of texts have appeared that are presented as analyzes of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that behind some of them, as he stated, there are lobbyists and advocates of ethno-nationalist views.
According to him, misinformation about Bosnia and Herzegovina, its history and Republika Srpska can be found in such texts, as well as different legal interpretations which, according to Murphy, would not withstand serious legal analysis.
He especially singled out the text by the author Jose Lev Alvarez, evaluating it as “arguably the craziest” among such contributions.
Murphy proposed the return of American forces to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referring to the arguments from Alvarez’s text, Murphy also presented several ideas that, in his opinion, could be the answer to such proposals. He stated that individual members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina could propose a decision on the recognition of Kosovo, but also offer the United States of America the possibility of establishing a military base on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Murphy recalled that after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, American forces were present in Tuzla, where they operated for years as part of the international military presence. He mentioned Tuzla as one of the possible locations for the possible return of American forces, while Brčko was mentioned as another option.
“Both would be timely,” said Murphy.
His announcement followed the publication of an article in the Washington Examiner advocating a completely different approach by Washington towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.
An invitation to Trump to support the independence of RS
The text to which Murphy reacted was written by Jose Lev Alvarez, and was published on August 20 under the title “Let Bosnia collapse: Why Trump must recognize Republika Srpska”. In the text, Alvarez calls on the administration of US President Donald Trump to abandon its current policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina and support the process that would enable Republika Srpska on its way to independence.
The author claims, among other things, that the Serbs are “trapped in an artificial state”, thus presenting Bosnia and Herzegovina as an unsustainable state structure.
The text also advocates the establishment of an American logistics point in Banja Luka, as well as a change in the American approach to security policy in the Western Balkans. Such claims provoked a reaction from Murphy, who strongly advocated the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement during his mandate as the US ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the end, Murphy focused his reaction precisely on the idea of changing American policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, suggesting that, instead of supporting the country’s disintegration, one could talk about strengthening the American military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
