Former senior US diplomat Thomas Countryman said midterm election results in the United States of America show voters’ dissatisfaction with Donald Trump’s policies. He emphasized he does not expect changes in policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Countryman said Democratic control of Congress will significantly limit the Trump administration’s options, but he does not expect major changes in US foreign policy toward Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans.
Countryman, a former acting under secretary for arms control and international security in the US State Department, said in a statement to Fena that American voters clearly expressed their opposition to Trump’s political agenda.
“American voters clearly showed that they are rejecting Trump’s policy, especially the catastrophic war in Iran, the damage this war and tariffs caused to the economy, as well as the unprecedented level of corruption in the White House,” Countryman emphasized.
Commenting on the victory of the Democrats, who won the majority in both houses of Congress on November 3, Countryman assessed that the new relations of political forces will significantly affect the actions available to the Trump administration during the remainder of his presidential mandate.
“Democratic control of Congress will significantly limit Trump’s policy options. In particular, the powers of the House of Representatives and Senate to investigate decisions and actions of the executive branch will make it harder to implement some of his controversial policies, like the ones related to immigration and tariffs,” he explained.
However, he believes that the influence of Congress on foreign policy will be more limited, considering that the US political system grants the president broad powers in international law.
Speaking about possible changes to the US approach to Europe and NATO, Countryman expressed his concern due to the consequences that Trump’s policy has already left on transatlantic relations.
“Trump has already done serious damage to America’s relations with democratic European allies. The vast majority of members of the new Congress, as well as the vast majority of Americans, believe that we should support allies, not dictators,” he emphasized.
According to him, the new composition of Congress will strive to return the United States of America to its traditional foreign policy approach and relationship with European partners.
“The new Congress will do everything in its power to return the US to its traditional position, but it won’t be possible to immediately restore Europe’s trust in Washington,” Countryman warned.
When asked whether the US election results can bring a stronger engagement by Washington in protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, supporting democratic institutions, and countering destabilizing political activities, Countryman did not express expectation of a significant shift in US policy.
“We shouldn’t expect dramatic changes in the US diplomatic approach towards Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was not high on Washington’s priority list, which is, in my opinion, unfortunate,” he said.
Reflecting on political changes in Serbia, where the Student List defeated Aleksandar Vučić’s political block in early parliamentary elections, Countryman assessed that result as exceptionally significant, not only for Serbia but for broader European political processes.
“In my opinion, Vučić’s defeat in Serbia represents an exceptional, unprecedented victory. The example of decentralized movement led by students should be studied not only in the neighboring countries of Serbia, but also in the rest of Europe and the United States,” he emphasized.
Countryman expects strong US support for the new government in Serbia, but warns that change of power in Belgrade and new political relations in Washington will not necessarily lead to rapid changes in regional and geopolitical relations.
“I think that American support for the new Serbian government will be strong. However, I don’t expect dramatic or rapid changes in the geopolitical situation,” he said.
He emphasized that the new government in Serbia should stay consistent with priorities that the Student List emphasized during its political struggle.
“The Student List promised that internal reforms, meaning the return to the rule of law, will be its main priority and I believe that it should stick to that priority,” Countryman said.
Speaking about the possible impact of new power relations in the US Congress on policy towards Russia, the war in Ukraine, and European security, Countryman assessed that the democratic majority will not be able to change Trump’s foreign policy approach immediately, but that Congress has mechanisms at its disposal to influence the administration’s decisions.
“The new Congress cannot immediately reverse Trump’s preference for dictatorship over democracies or his favor for Russian aggression over Ukrainian self-defense,” he said.
However, he expressed the expectation that support for Ukraine will become one of the most important issues the new Congress will deal with.
“I hope that the Congress will make Ukraine one of its top priorities, using investigative mechanisms and the budget process to increase economic pressure on Russia and demand strong material support for Ukraine,” Countryman concluded in a statement to Fena.
